9 


BT  890  . M84  1919 
Munro,  Clayton  A. 

The  kingdom  and  coming  of 

Christ 

Uhl  hi 

Mm 


THE  KINGDOM  AND 
COMING  OF  CHRIST 

a 

A  STUDY  OF  MILLENNIALISM 


BY 

CLAYTON  A.  MUNRO 


BOSTON 

RICHARD  G.  BADGER 


THE  GORHAM  PRESS 


Copyright,  1919,  by  Clayton  A.  Muxmo 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


DEDICATED  TO 

THE  MEMORY  OF  MY  PROMOTED 

MOTHER 

MY  FIRST  THEOLOGICAL  INSTRUCTOR 


I 


PREFACE 


THE  Great  War  with  its  severe  shock  has  quick¬ 
ened  interest  in  the  millennial  teaching  of  the  sec¬ 
ond  coming  of  Christ  and  the  end  of  the  world.  To 
many  there  seems  to  be  strong  evidence  to  support  the 
theory  that  a  new  dispensation  is  dawning  in  which 
Jesus  will  return  to  earth  and  assume  control  of  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  with  the  centre  of  his  govern¬ 
ment  at  Jerusalem.  Such  a  revelation  of  sovereign 
power  would  seem  to  be  a  quick  remedy  for  all  the  moral 
and  social  ills  of  humanity  and  the  establishment  of 
righteousness  on  the  earth.  The  premillennial  plan 
of  the  ages  so  elaborately  worked  out  binds  God  to 
clearly  defined  limits  beyond  which  He  cannot  move,  and 
outside  of  which  apparently  He  has  no  jurisdiction. 
This  plan  the  Almighty  must  follow  with  mathematical 
precision.  It  implies  that  He  cannot  shorten  the  days 
because  they  are  set  in  thousand  year  ages,  or  dispen¬ 
sations  ;  neither  can  He  lengthen  them,  even  in  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  long-suffering  mercy,  because  the  times  are  ap¬ 
pointed. 

In  early  life  the  author  came  in  contact  with  millen- 
nialism,  and  it  made  a  favorable  impression  on  him. 
Later,  in  his  ministerial  work,  he  was  confronted  with 
it  in  an  aggressive  form.  Noting  its  unfortunate  ef¬ 
fects  he  was  led  to  a  more  careful  and  guarded  study 
of  its  philosophy  and  theological  bearing.  This  re¬ 
vealed  the  startling  fact  that  in  the  premillennial  sys¬ 
tem  the  gospel  of  Jesus  is  not  considered  the  divine 
means  for  the  conversion  of  the  world. 

In  1915  the  Ministerial  Association  of  Bermuda  gave 


VI 


Preface 


the  subject  extended  consideration.  The  author  pre¬ 
sented  the  closing  paper  of  the  discussion.  It  was 
there  suggested  that  a  comprehensive  treatment  of  the 
whole  system  from  the  viewpoint  of  that  address  would 
be  very  valuable  to  Bible  students. 

These  facts  inspired  the  production  of  this  book. 
It  is  prayerfully  sent  forth  on  its  gospel  mission  in  the 
full  confidence  that  the  Apostle  was  inspired  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  when  he  wrote,  “  Wherefore  Jesus  is  able 
to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come  unto  God  by 
Him,  seeing  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
transgressors.”  (Heb.  7 :  25.) 

Clayton  A.  Munro. 

Annapolis  Royal ,  N.  S. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  fA0E 

I  The  Jewish  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  1 

II  The  Millennial  Conception  of  the 

Kingdom  . 8 

III  The  Throne  of  David . 20 

IV  The  Millennial  Reign . 43 

V  The  Reign  of  Jesus . 70 

VI  The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel  ....  88 

VII  The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles  .  .  .140 

VIII  The  Two  Resurrections . 178 

IX  Jesus  Coming  Again . 198 

Introduction . 198 

1.  The  End  of  the  World  ....  199 


2.  The  Return  of  Jesus  to  His  Disciples  209 

3.  The  Coming1  of  the  Lord  at  the  De¬ 

struction  of  Jerusalem  ....  217 

4.  The  Testimony  of  Revelation  .  .  .  240 

5.  Epistolary  Testimony  ....  260 
0.  The  Coming  of  Christ  to  Judgment  .  275 

X  The  Gospel  Hope . 295 

Index . *^14 


THE  KINGDOM  AND 
COMING  OF  CHRIST 


) 


THE  KINGDOM  AND  COMING 

OF  CHRIST 

« 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  JEWISH  CONCEPTION  OE  THE  KINGDOM 

DURING  the  time  that  intervened  between  the 
prophets,  or  the  closing  of  the  Old  Testament 
canon,  and  the  advent  of  Jesus,  there  grew  up  a  large 
apocalyptic  literature,  which  gave  a  literal  and  political 
interpretation  to  the  Messianic  prophecies.  This  Rab¬ 
binical  interpretation  influenced  and  moulded  all  the 
thinking  of  the  people.  They  looked  forward  to  the 
promised  Messiah,  as  he  who  would  come  and  deliver 
them  from  the  yoke  of  the  foreigner,  restore  to  them  the 
Davidic  kingdom,  and  make  them  the  dominant  world 
power  unto  which  all  nations  would  flow.  (Isa.  2:2.) 

When  Jesus  entered  upon  his  public  ministry,  this 
was  the  general  expectation  of  the  people.  The  fervid 
preaching  of  John  the  Baptist,  from  his  startling  text, 
“  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand,”  aroused 
the  whole  country  with  an  unprecedented  enthusiasm, 
and  multitudes  of  excited  people  flocked  to  his  great 
meetings  at  the  fords  of  the  Jordan.  They  felt  that 
now  their  long  hoped  for  deliverance  was  to  be  accom¬ 
plished.  Even  the  most  zealous  and  devoted  disciples 
of  John  accepted  the  announcement  of  the  approaching 
kingdom,  as  an  assurance  that  they  were  to  receive  im¬ 
mediately  their  political  liberty  under  their  own  king  of 
the  lineage  of  David.  Did  not  their  prophets  foretell 
such  a  glorious  consummation?  Did  not  all  their 


2  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

schools  teach  and  all  their  Rabbis  agree  that  this  was 
the  meaning  of  all  their  prophets  ?  Surely  the  glory  of 
Israel  was  at  hand. 

Such  was  the  mental  condition  and  religious  expecta¬ 
tion  of  the  people  when  Jesus  began  to  preach  and  to 
teach  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  fact 
must  be  firmly  held  by  the  person  who  would  understand 
and  correctly  interpret  the  preaching  of  Jesus  and  the 
peculiar  effect  it  had  upon  both  the  populace  and  the 
rulers  of  the  Jews.  Their  minds  were  so  preoccupied 
with  their  political  conditions,  and  the  future  of  their 
country,  that  they  unhesitatingly  interpreted  the  decla¬ 
rations  of  Jesus  to  mean  that  they  were  now  to  be  de¬ 
livered  from  the  hated  Roman  power,  to  become  again  a 
sovereign  people.  The  intense  enthusiasm  which  moved 
the  multitudes  to  follow  Jesus  from  village  to  village 
and  country  to  city,  was  not  so  much  from  a  sense  of 
moral  need,  as  an  assurance  of  physical  relief  and  a 
quickening  of  political  hopes.  The  religious  and  politi¬ 
cal  were  so  intertwined  in  the  history  of  Israel  and  the 
thought  of  the  people,  that  they  could  not  think  of  a  re¬ 
ligious  reformation  apart  from  the  political  deliverance 
of  their  country  from  the  bondage  of  a  foreign  power. 
From  the  beginning  of  their  history,  church  and  state 
were  so  combined  that  they  rose  and  fell  together. 
Consequently,  to  them  religious  reformation  meant  po¬ 
litical  restoration. 

All  the  teaching  of  Jesus  was  handicapped  by  these 
political  hopes  and  aspiration  of  His  hearers.  They 
watched  His  words  for  any  intimation  that,  at  last, 
their  political  hopes  and  aspirations  were  to  be  real¬ 
ized.  Owing  to  their  predilections,  His  references  to 
the  kingdom  conveyed  quite  a  different  meaning 
from  what  He  intended.  Every  effort  of  His  to  re- 


The  Jewish  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  3 


move  the  false  impression  only  intensified  it.  So  sure 
were  they  that  He  was  the  long  expected  deliverer  of 
their  country,  that  they  attempted  to  44  take  Him  by 
force  and  make  Him  king.”  (John  16: 15.)  Only  His 
departure  from  their  midst  saved  Him  from  this  humili- 
tion,  of  their  misconceived  patriotic  designs.  When 
their  attempt  was  thus  foiled,  they  became  suspicious  of 
His  claims  and  character,  and  turned  away  from  Him. 
So  great  was  the  defection  that  from  that  time  44  many 
of  His  disciples  went  back  and  walked  no  more  with 
him.”  (John  6:  66.) 

Had  He  satisfied  their  national  hopes,  the  rulers  of 
the  Jews  would  have  received  Him  gladly,  and  would 
have  followed  Him  loyally  in  a  war  of  liberation  against 
the  Roman  Caesar,  but  when  their  hopes  were  disap¬ 
pointed,  they  turned  against  Him,  and  concentrated  all 
their  thought  and  energy  upon  the  task  of  discrediting 
Him  as  an  impostor.  Having  committed  themselves  to 
such  a  policy,  they  felt  that  they  must  prove  their  case 
at  all  hazards.  This  led  them  into  the  iniquitous  ex¬ 
pedient  of  bribing  false  witnesses  to  substantiate  their 
envious  accusations.  Thus  their  political  hopes,  based 
upon  a  literal  interpretation  of  their  prophets,  led 
them  to  deliver  their  Messiah  to  the  Gentile  Governor, 
with  the  vehement  clamour  44  Crucify  Him,  crucify 
Him.” 

It  requires  no  argument  today  to  prove  that  these 
people  through  ignorance  and  envy  committed  the 
greatest  crime  in  history,  44  when  they  murdered  the 
Just  and  Holy  One.”  Paul  referred  to  their  ignorance 
thus  comprehensively,  44  For  they  that  dwell  at  Jeru¬ 
salem,  and  their  rulers,  because  they  knew  Him  not,  nor 
yet  the  voices  of  the  prophets  which  are  read  every 
sabbath  day  they  have  fulfilled  them  in  condemning 


4 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Him.”  (Acts  13 : 27.)  Their  error  was  due  to  a 
strictly  literal  interpretation  of  prophecy.  This  kind 
of  interpretation  so  distorted  their  conception  of 
the  coming  Messiah  and  the  Messianic  kingdom  that 
they  were  not  prepared  to  accept  any  person  as  the 
Messiah  who  was  not  pre-eminently  a  political  leader 
and  deliverer.  This  is  why  so  many  of  the  people 
were  easily  misled  by  the  false  Christs.  Jesus  cau¬ 
tioned  His  followers  against  such  deceivers.  (Matt. 
24 :  5,  24.)  These  literal  interpretations  arousing  and 
stimulating  political  hopes  and  aspirations  were  the 
chief  barriers  in  the  way  of  Jesus  making  Himself  un¬ 
derstood.  Throughout  His  ministry  He  labored  to  re¬ 
move  these  misconceptions  and  get  the  people  to  under¬ 
stand  that  His  kingdom  was  not  political  but  spiritual, 
He  was  not  a  rival  of  Caesar  or  any  earthly  ruler, 
neither  was  His  kingdom  designed  to  displace  the  politi¬ 
cal  power  of  any  nation,  nor  yet  to  restore  the  national 
integrity  and  departed  political  glory  of  Israel.  When 
Pilate  questioned  Him  regarding  His  regal  claims  and 
designs  He  definitely  stated,  44  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then 
would  my  servants  fight  that  I  should  not  be  delivered 
unto  the  Jews :  but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence.” 
(John  18 :  36.) 

He  insisted  that  He  had  not  come  to  assume  any  of 
the  prerogatives  either  of  an  earthly  king,  or  of  a  civil 
judge.  When  one  said  unto  Him,  44  Master,  speak  to 
my  brother  that  he  divide  the  inheritance  with  me,” 
Jesus  quickly  replied,  44  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge  or 
divider  over  you?  ”  (Luke  12 :  14.)  When  the  ambi¬ 
tious  Salome,  thinking  she  had  a  political  pull,  sought 
the  highest  offices  in  the  restored  kingdom  of  Israel,  for 
her  two  boys,  James  and  John,  Jesus  rebuked  her  with 


The  Jewish  Conception  of  the  Kingdom 


5 


the  statement,  66  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.”  (Matt. 
20:  £2.)  And  then  He  proceeded  to  turn  their 
thoughts  entirely  away  from  the  idea  of  political  pro¬ 
motion.  Later,  when  the  twelve,  during  the  Paschal 
Feast,  were  assembled  with  Jesus  in  the  upper  room, 
they  got  into  a  shameful  altercation  over  their  respec¬ 
tive  claims  for  the  first  place  in  the  expected  kingdom. 
Jesus  rebuked  them  for  their  folly,  and  told  them  that 
the  principles  which  governed  His  kingdom,  were  the 
reverse  of  those  that  govern  the  political  rule  of  the 
nations  of  the  world.  (Luke  22:  24-27.) 

All  these  worldly  ambitions  and  excited  feelings  were 
the  result  of  the  popular  expectation  that  the  Messiah 
was  to  be  a  temporal  king  enthroned  at  Jerusalem,  and 
extending  His  political  rule  over  all  the  nations.  The 
deep  despondency  of  His  disciples  over  His  crucifixion 
was  due  to  the  blasting  of  these  political  hopes.  This 
is  clearly  shown  by  the  conversation  between  the  two 
disciples  and  the  risen  Christ  on  the  way  to  Emmaus  on 
the  day  of  the  resurrection.  Cleopas  explained  their 
sorrow  by  relating  the  story  of  the  crucifixion  and  add¬ 
ing,  “  We  trusted  that  it  had  been  He  which  should  re¬ 
deem  Israel.”  (Luke  24:21.)  The  redemption  he 
had  in  mind  was  not  moral,  but  political. 

The  resurrection  revived  this  buried  hope.  Though 
Jesus  “  opened  their  understanding  that  they  might 
understand  the  scriptures,”  (Luke  24:44,  45)  and  all 
that  was  “  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the 
prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms,”  concerning  Himself,  this 
misconceived  hope  of  the  political  restoration  of  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  was  ever  uppermost  in  their  minds. 
During  the  forty  days  between  the  resurrection  and 
the  ascension  Jesus,  as  He  associated  with  His  disci¬ 
ples,  was  at  pains  to  give  them  very  particular  instruc- 


6 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


tions  regarding  the  spiritual  nature  of  His  kingdom 
and  the  religious  conditions  that  govern  the  citizens 
thereof.  Yet  when  taking  final  leave  from  them  He 
mentioned  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  fulfil¬ 
ment  of  the  promise  of  the  Father,  they  seized  upon  this 
as  the  possible  time  of  the  hoped  for  restoration,  and 
they  broke  in  with  the  question,  “  Lord,  wilt  thou  at 
this  time  restore  again  the  kingdom  of  Israel?  ”  Again 
the  Lord  administered  a  sharp  rebuke  for  their  literal¬ 
ism  which  closed  their  minds  to  the  great  realities  of 
the  spiritual  verities  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  (Acts 
1 : 5-8.) 

The  tenacity  with  which  the  chosen  twelve  held  to 
the  hope  of  the  political  restoration  of  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  shows  how  deeply  the  Rabinnical  interpretation 
of  the  prophets  was  rooted  in  the  minds  of  the  common 
people,  as  well  as  their  rulers;  and  how  it  colored  all 
their  thinking  and  conceptions  of  the  promised  Mes¬ 
siah.  Jesus  was  met  by  these  false  expectations  at 
every  turn.  Any  attempt  on  His  part  to  correct  the 
erroneous  notions  was  charged  against  Him  as  evi¬ 
dence  of  His  lack  of  loyalty  to  the  law  and  institutions 
of  Moses,  and  a  traitor  to  His  country.  These  ultra- 
patriotic  sentiments  based  upon  a  literal  interpretation 
of  the  prophets  led  to  the  crime  of  the  crucifixion,  and 
the  final  overthrow  of  Israel  in  the  destruction  of  Jeru¬ 
salem. 

Even  the  pentecostal  baptism  did  not  fully  remove 
the  national  aspirations  of  the  disciples,  nor  make  them 
infallible  in  judgment.  This  is  very  evident  from  the 
extended  controversy  over  the  question  of  circumcision 
which  caused  such  sharp  contention  and  division,  not 
only  among  the  J ewish  Christians  but  between  the 
apostles  themselves.  Even  though  Peter  was  the  first 


The  Jewish  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  7 

to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  and  defend  their 
baptism  to  the  Christian  faith  without  circumcision,  the 
old  lingerings  of  the  Jewish  conception  of  the  kingdom 
clung  to  him.  When  he  went  to  Antioch  where  Paul 
was  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  he  was  led  by 
those  who  came  from  James  and  separated  himself  from 
his  Gentile  brethren.  “  The  other  Jewish  converts  dis¬ 
sembled  likewise  with  him ;  insomuch  that  Barnabas  was 
also  carried  away  with  their  dissimulation.”  (Gal. 
2:13.)  So  serious  was  the  defection  that  Paul  with¬ 
stood  Peter  to  his  face,  because  he  was  to  be  blamed. 

This  is  evidence  of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  even 
Christian  people  breaking  away  from  national  miscon¬ 
ceptions,  and  racial  prejudices,  and  realizing  that  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  has  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of 
partition  so  that  in  Christ  Jesus  there  is  neither  Jew 
nor  Gentile,  but  all  are  one  in  the  unity  of  the  faith 
and  sonship  of  God  the  Father. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  MILLENNIAL  CONCEPTION  OF  THE  KINGDOM 

THE  premillennial  school  of  Biblical  interpretation 
teaches  that  there  is  yet  to  be  a  bodily  reign  of 
Christ  on  earth.  The  adherents  of  this  school  do  not 
agree  in  the  details  of  their  theories.  In  fact  there  is 
such  a  wide  divergence  of  opinion  in  the  various  sec¬ 
tions  that  they  are  seriously  at  variance  among  them¬ 
selves.  The  incompatible  teachings  of  Millennial  Dawn- 
ism,  and  so-called  orthodox  premillennialism  are  cases 
in  point.  They  are  unanimous,  however,  in  their  in¬ 
sistence  upon  what  they  call  the  literal  interpretation 
of  prophecy,  and  the  theory  that  Christ  must  return  to 
earth,  live  under  physical  conditions,  and  establish  an 
earthly  kingdom,  with  Jerusalem  as  His  capital  and  the 
saints  as  His  subjects. 

The  main  features  of  this  teaching  are:  first,  the 
kingly  administration  of  Jesus  must  be  in  bodily  pres¬ 
ence,  not  spiritual ;  second,  it  will  be  a  literal  reign  on 
earth ;  third,  Christ  shall  reign  on  the  restored  throne 
of  David  in  Jerusalem;  fourth,  He  shall  set  His  face 
against  the  powers  of  darkness  to  reign  over  the  united 
kingdoms  of  the  world  (this,  of  course,  would  imply  a 
war  of  subjugation,  and  possibly  a  success  only  par¬ 
tial)  ;  fifth,  His  reign  and  kingdom  shall  last  for  a 
thousand  years. 

On  all  these  points,  the  millennialists  agree  with  the 
Jewish  conception  of  the  kingdom.  Some  of  the  mil¬ 
lennial  writers  even  appeal  to  the  Rabbinical  writings 

8 


The  Millennial  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  9 


to  prove  their  position.  W.  E.  B.  in  his  book,  Jesus  Is 
Coming ,  page  37,  says : 

Jewish  writers  throughout  the  Talmud  hold  that  this  mil¬ 
lennium  will  be  chiefly  characterized  by  the  deliverance  of 
the  Jews  from  all  their  enemies,  recovery  of  Palestine,  and 
the  literal  reign  of  Messiah  in  unequalled  splendor  therein. 

Premillennialists  hold  much  in  common  with  the  Jews, 
but  also  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Messiah;  that 
He  is  to  return  to  earth  and  overthrow  Satan,  all  ungodly 
government  and  lawlessness,  having  the  church,  with  Him¬ 
self  as  sovereign,  Jerusalem  as  capital,  regathered  and  con¬ 
verted  Israel  as  the  centre;  and  all  nations  included  in  a 
universal,  world-wide  kingdom  of  pure  and  blessed  govern¬ 
ment. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  only  real  difference  between 
this  putting  of  the  premillennial  conception  of  the  king¬ 
dom,  and  the  conception  of  the  Jews  is  that  the  latter 
did  not  accept  Jesus  as  the  Messiah.  But  why  did  the 
Jews  reject  Jesus  and  His  Messianic  claims?  They 
at  first  rallied  around  Him  with  marked  enthusiasm, 
acknowledged  Him  as  the  Messiah,  and  were  ready, 
even  anxious,  to  proclaim  Him  king.  He  was  even 
promised  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the  glory 
of  them.  (Matt.  4:9,  10.)  But  when  He  rejected 
the  temptations  and  repudiated  all  claims  and  inten¬ 
tions  of  an  earthly  kingship,  they  became  critical  and 
suspicious  of  Him.  They  were  looking  for  a  Messiah 
to  come  and  establish  an  earthly  kingdom.  He  came 
down  from  heaven  to  bring  to  earth  a  heavenly  king¬ 
dom.  They  had  drifted  so  far  from  the  moral  and 
spiritual  ideals  of  their  law  and  prophets,  that  they 
could  not  conceive  of  any  kingdom  but  one  founded  on 
the  political  restoration  of  Israel.  When  He  disap¬ 
pointed  their  expectations,  they  rejected  Him  and  had 
Him  put  to  death  as  a  malefactor. 


10 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


The  premillennialists  tell  us  that  the  Jews  were  per-< 
fectly  correct  in  their  expectation  of  a  political  Mes¬ 
siah,  anointed  of  God,  to  restore  the  fallen  kingdom  of 
Israel,  re-establish  the  throne  of  David,  and  literally 
reign  in  person  over  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  with 
Jerusalem  as  His  capital  city.  Their  fatal  mistake 
was  in  not  understanding  the  chronology  of  their 
prophets.  Had  they  understood  the  line  of  cleavage  in 
the  prophecies  between  the  suffering  Messiah  and  the 
glories  of  the  kingdom,  they  would  have  known  that  the 
first  advent  was  not  to  restore  the  kingdom  of  Israel, 
but  to  gather  out  of  the  world  a  people  for  His  name, 
and  at  the  second  coming  He  would  establish  the  throne 
of  His  might  in  Jerusalem. 

This  is  the  discovery  made  by  the  millennialists. 
While  they  retain  the  literal  interpretations  of  the 
Rabbinical  writings  regarding  the  political  restoration 
of  the  political  kingdom  of  Israel,  they  bisect  the 
prophecies  find  apply  the  references  to  the  sufferings 
of  Messiah  to  the  first  advent;  and  all  references  to  the 
kingdom,  to  the  second  coming.  But  such  a  rehabilita¬ 
tion  of  the  old  Jewish  conception  of  the  kingdom,  even 
though  the  old  garment  is  patched  up  with  the  new 
cloth  of  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus,  does  not  improve  the 
situation.  The  facts  remain  that  the  Jews  failed  to 
discern  any  evidence  in  their  prophets  of  a  predicted 
second  coming  of  the  Messiah  to  establish  His  kingdom, 
and  that  Jesus  repudiated  absolutely  all  claims  to  po¬ 
litical  leadership.  It  has  been  shown  ( Chapter  I),  that 
every  time  either  the  Jews  or  His  chosen  disciples  ap¬ 
proached  Him  with  any  suggestions  or  questions  re¬ 
garding  His  political  claims,  or  the  restoration  of 
Israel,  He  rebuked  them  with  an  emphatic  declara¬ 
tion  that  His  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world.  The 


The  Millennial  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  11 


disparity  between  the  teaching  of  Jesus  regarding  the 
kingdom,  and  their  interpretation  of  the  prophets  was 
so  great,  that  the  Jews  could  not  reconcile  the  two, 
and  therefore  they  refused  to  accept  Jesus  as  the  Mes¬ 
siah.  If  their  only  mistake,  or  their  chief  mistake,  was 
a  failure  to  distinguish  between  the  purposes  of  the 
first  and  the  second  coming  of  the  Messiah,  it  would 
not  only  have  been  an  easy  matter,  but  a  very  reason¬ 
able  thing  for  Jesus  to  have  intimated  to  them  that 
their  conception  of  the  kingdom  was  correct,  but  they 
had  misunderstood  the  time  or  dispensation  in  which 
the  prophecies  were  to  be  fulfilled.  But,  on  the  con¬ 
trary,  He  rejected  their  whole  conception  of  the  king¬ 
dom,  and  endeavored  to  teach  them  that  the  king¬ 
dom  of  heaven  was  a  kingdom  of  spiritual  fellowship, 
and  of  moral  character.  He  does  not  even  intimate 
that  faith  in  Himself  would  assure  the  restoration  of  the 
political  glory  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel. 

Everywhere  He  urges  the  fact  that  repentance 
toward  God,  and  faith  in  Himself  as  the  one  whom  God 
had  sent  would  give  them  everlasting  life,  and  bring 
them  into  such  spiritual  relations  with  the  Father  and 
the  Son  that  they  would  enter  into  the  heavenly  king¬ 
dom. 

He  opened  His  ministry  with  the  text  of  John  the 
Baptist,  44  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand.” 
(Matt.  3:  £.  Comp.  Matt.  4:17.)  To  inquiring  Nico- 
demus  He  said,  with  divine  emphasis,  “  Verily,  verily,  1 
say  unto  you  except  a  man  be  born  from  above,  he  can¬ 
not  see  the  kingdom  of  God.”  (John  3:3,  N.  T.  Gr.) 
In  the  sermon  on  the  Mount,  when  contrasting  the 
material  with  the  spiritual  He  said,  44  But  seek  ye  first 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness ;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.”  (Matt.  6:  33.) 


12 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


In  all  His  teaching  of  the  kingdom,  He  aimed  to  turn 
the  thoughts  of  the  people  away  from  earthly  ambi¬ 
tions,  and  political  aspirations,  and  centre  them  upon 
the  spiritual  and  eternal  verities  of  pure  and  undefiled 
religion.  The  inducements  which  He  presented  to  them 
were  not  material  gains,  or  the  glories  of  an  earthly 
kingdom,  but  moral  salvation  and  a  place  with  Him  in 
heaven  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  It  took  the  chosen 
disciples  of  Jesus  a  long  time  to  break  away  from  their 
Jewish  conceptions  and  get  the  viewpoint  of  Jesus. 
In  fact,  it  was  not  until  after  He  ascended  unto  the 
Father,  and  sent  the  Comforter,  the  Holy  Ghost,  in 
pentecostal  power,  that  they  received  the  vision  of  the 
purely  spiritual  nature  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Paul 
puts  this  divine  conception  of  the  kingdom  in  this  con¬ 
cise  form,  44  For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and 
drink,  but  righteousness  and  joy  and  peace  in  the 
Holy  Ghost.”  (Rom.  14: 17.) 

The  Jews’  mistake  was  not  that  they  misunderstood 
the  time  the  Messiah  would  establish  His  kingdom,  but 
that  they  had  an  entirely  erroneous  conception  of  the 
nature  and  purpose  of  that  kingdom.  They  were  per¬ 
fectly  correct  in  their  expectations  that  the  Messiah 
at  His  first  advent  would  establish  His  kingdom  with 
Jerusalem  as  the  starting  point,  but  they  were  entirely 
astray  when  they  thought  that  kingdom  must  consist 
of  the  restoration  of  the  political  power  and  prestige 
of  Israel.  Both  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus  from  the 
beginning  proclaimed,  44  The  kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand.”  (Matt.  8:  2  and  4:  17.)  44  And  when  He  was 

demanded  of  the  Pharisees,  when  the  kingdom  of  God 
should  come,”  He  answered  them  and  said,  4  The  king¬ 
dom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation :  neither  shall 
they  say  Lo  here !  or  lo,  there  l  for,  behold,  the  king- 


The  Millennial  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  IB 


dom  of  God  is  within  you.’  ”  (Luke  17 :  20,  21.)  It 
was  already  in  their  midst.  The  kingdom  of  God  was 
the  establishment  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion  in  the 
world.  It  was  even  then  at  work  like  the  leaven 
which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of 
meal.”  When  Jesus  was  preparing  the  disciples  for 
His  ascension,  He  said,  “  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus 
it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead 
on  the  third  day,  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of 
sins  should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations 
beginning  at  Jerusalem.  And  ye  are  witnesses  of  these 
things.  And  behold  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father 
upon  you:  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until 
ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high.”  (Luke  24: 
46—49. ) 

These  disciples  waited  at  Jerusalem  in  fellowship 
and  prayer  for  ten  days.  “  And  when  the  day  of  Pen¬ 
tecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all  with  one  accord  in 
one  place  .  .  .  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.”  (Acts  2: 1-4.) 

Then  and  there  began  the  full  preaching  of  the  gos¬ 
pel  of  the  kingdom,  and  on  that  day  three  thousand 
were  converted  to  God  and  baptized.  Thus  Jerusalem 
was  made  the  starting  point  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  from  the  Holy  City  radiated  its  light  and  power. 
This  is  the  kingdom  that  was  ordained  of  God  to 
dominate  the  world.  When  the  disciples  listened  to 
Jesus  as  He  renewed  the  promise  of  the  Father  m 
that  solemn  moment  on  Mount  Olivet,  they  broke  in 
with  the  question  of  politics.  It  was  so  irrelevant 
and  such  a  sad  exhibition  of  their  materialism  that 
Jesus  quickly  brushed  the  question  aside  with  the  sharp 
rebuke:  “It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  and 
seasons  which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  powei. 


14*  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

To  turn  them  back  to  the  great  question  of  the  king¬ 
dom  He  was  presenting  to  them  and  concentrate 
their  minds  upon  their  responsibility  as  citizens  of 
that  kingdom  of  God,  He  quickly  added,  “  But  ye  shall 
receive  power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come 
upon  you:  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  Judea  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  part  of  the  earth.”  (Acts  1:1-8.)  Not 
only  was  Jerusalem  the  starting  point  for  the  extension 
of  the  kingdom,  but  the  Jews  were  the  chosen  people  to 
disseminate  the  truth  of  the  kingdom  to  the  uttermost 
part  of  the  world.  Paul  writing  to  the  Gentile  Chris¬ 
tians  at  Ephesus  reminds  them  that  the  Jews  formed  the 
foundation  of  the  kingdom  and  that  they  were  fellow 
citizens.  He  says,  6i  Now  therefore  ye  are  no  more 
strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow  citizens  with  the 
saints,  and  of  the  household  of  God ;  and  are  built  upon 
the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus 
Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone ;  in  whom 
all  the  building  fitly  framed  together  groweth  unto  an 
holy  temple  in  the  Lord:  in  whom  ye  also  are  builded 
together  for  an  habitation  of  God  through  the  spirit.” 
(Eph.  2:  19-22.)  In  this  passage  the  basic  idea  is 
that  of  the  kingdom  in  which  all  Christians  are  fellow 
citizens.  The  transition  to  the  figures  of  the  house, 
and  family  life,  is  very  striking  and  impressive,  but  in 
both  the  kingdom  and  the  family,  the  apostles  and 
prophets  are  the  foundation  with  Christ  Jesus  as  the 
chief  corner  stone. 

The  failure  of  the  rulers  of  the  Jews  to  recognize 
this  spiritual  nature  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  so  clearly 
taught  in  the  law  of  Moses,  the  psalms  and  the  proph¬ 
ets,  resulted  in  the  crucifixion  on  Calvary’s  Cross  of 
their  long  expected  Messiah.  Their  ignorance  was  not 


The  Millennial  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  15 


of  a  prospective  second  coming  of  Christ,  but  of  His 
real  character  and  mission,  and  the  essential  nature  of 
the  kingdom  He  came  to  establish.  Paul  writing  of 
the  lack  of  the  spiritual  perception  of  the  Jews  says, 
44  Howbeit,  we  speak  wisdom  among  them  that  are  per¬ 
fect:  yet  not  the  wisdom  of  this  world,  that  comes  to 
naught ;  but  we  speak  the  wisdom  of  God  in  a  mystery, 
even  the  hidden  wisdom  which  God  ordained  before  the 
world  unto  our  glory:  which  none  of  the  princes  of  this 
world  knew :  for  had  they  known  it  they  would  not  have 
crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory.”  (1  Cor.  2:  6—8.) 

Seeing  that  the  mistake  of  the  Jews  had  such  dis¬ 
astrous  results,  is  there  not  a  danger  that  the  rehabili¬ 
tation  of  Jewish  literalism  regarding  the  nature  and 
principles  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  will  prove  a  deterrent 
to  the  extension  of  the  gospel  as  an  all  powerful  evan¬ 
gelizing  force  in  the  world? 

We  would  not  insinuate  that  millennialists  assume 
the  attitude  of  the  Jews  toward  Jesus  as  the  Messiah, 
nor  yet  that  their  conception  of  the  millennial  kingdom 
coincides  with  the  Jewish  conception  of  the  Messianic 
kingdom.  Millennialists  fully  accept  the  Messiahship 
of  Jesus  and  the  great  Christian  doctrine  of  atonement 
and  salvation  by  faith.  Therefore,  they  have  a  devout 
and  pious  Christian  sentiment  and  spirit.  And  yet  to 
them  the  gospel  is  only  an  intermediary  dispensation 
between  the  Mosaic  economy  and  the  inauguration  of 
the  millennium  by  the  second  coming  of  Jesus.  The 
character  and  form  of  this  intermediary  dispensation 
was  determined  by  the  perfidy  of  the  Jewish  hierarchy 
which  rejected  their  king  and  expelled  him  from  the 
earth  by  a  violent  death.  This  expulsion  left  the  devil 
in  charge  of  the  world,  as  its  prince  and  god.  The 
gospel  was  not  intended,  in  the  divine  plan,  for  the  con- 


16 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


version  of  the  world.  In  fact,  they  see  no  hope  for  any 
real  improvement  of  world  conditions  under  the  present 
dispensation :  as  Paul  said,  66  Evil  men  and  seducers 
shall  wax  worse  and  worse,  deceiving  and  being  de¬ 
ceived.”  (2  Tim.  3  :13.)  This  world  which  “  lieth 
in  the  wicked  one  ”  (1  Jno.  5:19  R.  V.)  must  go  from 
bad  to  worse,  until  Jesus  comes  a  second  time  to  change 
the  world  order  and  set  up  His  kingdom.  They  accept 
the  present  world  crisis  as  indubitable  proof  of  their 
theory,  and  see  no  solution  of  the  world’s  social,  indus¬ 
trial,  and  political  problems,  except  by  a  personal  reign 
of  Jesus  on  the  earth  as  king  of  the  nations.  In  the 
autumn  of  1917,  a  number  of  eminent  preachers  of 
London,  “  under  a  profound  impression  of  the  momen¬ 
tous  nature  of  the  present  crisis,”  were  convinced  that 
“  the  Lord  is  at  hand  ”  and  issued  a  statement  of  their 
views  in  seven  brief  articles  of  faith.  The  fifth  reads, 
“  That  all  human  schemes  of  reconstruction  must  be 
made  subsidiary  to  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord,  be¬ 
cause  then  all  nations  will  be  subject  to  His  rule.” 

There  is  no  doubt  of  the  sincerity  of  these  men,  and 
all  devout  Christians  who  agree  with  them.  Such  a 
statement  challenges  attention  chiefly  as  an  offered 
solution  of  the  present  crisis.  There  is  not  a  word  re¬ 
garding  the  efficacy  of  the  gospel  as  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation.  No  appeal  to  men  to  observe  and  do 
the  will  of  God  as  revealed  in  the  Ploly  Word.  The 
only  hope  for  the  world  is  the  second  coming  of  Christ  as 
ruler  of  the  nations.  Rut  suppose  this  expected  coming 
of  the  divine  king  is  delayed?  Suppose  these  prophets 
have  not  read  aright  the  signs  of  the  times ;  or  like  the 
millennialists  of  a  thousand  years  ago,  have  misjudged 
“  the  times  and  the  seasons  which  the  Lord  hath  placed 
in  His  own  power”?  In  such  a  contingency,  “Is 


The  Millennial  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  17 


there  no  balm  in  Gilead?  ”  Have  these  men  nothing  to 
offer  as  an  immediate  remedy  for  this  world’s  sores? 
We  study  their  document  in  vain  for  the  slightest  inti¬ 
mation  of  any  relief  from  any  source  for  the  evils  that 
exist,  except  the  predicted  second  coming  of  Christ. 
If  these  prophets  have  reliable  credentials  to  prove 
that  they  have  a  special  divine  illumination  that  pro¬ 
tects  them  from  all  possibility  of  error,  their  pro¬ 
nouncement  may  be  accepted  without  question,  but  they 
claim  to  base  their  conclusions  and  expectations  upon 
the  prophecies  of  the  Bible.  These  prophecies  are 
open  to  all  for  examination.  It  is  our  duty  to  search 
them  carefully  in  the  full  light  of  the  Gospel  to  see  if 
these  things  are  true.  Our  purpose  is  to  study  the 
millennial  claims  in  the  light  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
well  authenticated  history. 

We  cannot  help  noting  at  this  point  a  disagree¬ 
ment  between  the  proclamation  of  the  ten  London 
preachers  and  the  position  of  Jesus.  When  one  of 
the  disciples  asked  Jesus,  “Are  there  few  that  be 
saved?  ”  the  Master  gave  this  decisive  answer,  “  Strive 
to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate:  for  many,  I  say  unto 
you,  will  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.”  (Luke 
13:  24.)  In  other  words,  your  concern  is  not  whether 
few  or  many  are  saved,  but  see  to  it,  by  the  exercise  of 
all  your  energies  after  godliness  that  you  enter  the 
strait  gate  yourself.  When  just  before  the  ascension 
Jesus  renewed  to  the  disciples  the  promise  of  the  Father, 
they  asked  “  Wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  the  king¬ 
dom  of  Israel?”  He  replied,  “It  is  not  for  you  to 
know  the  times  or  the  seasons,  which  the  Father  hath 
put  in  His  own  power :  But  ye  shall  receive  power  after 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  has  come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall 
be  witnesses  unto  me  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea 


18 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


and  in  Samaria,  and  even  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth.”  (Acts  1 :  6-8.) 

That  is  when  they  wanted  to  know  the  secrets  of 
God,  and  were  anxious  to  fix  times  and  seasons,  Jesus 
in  effect  told  them  that  this  was  none  of  their  affair. 
They  were  to  seek  divine  qualification  to  preach  the 
gospel,  and  were  now  sent  to  bear  this  healing  balm 
for  the  world’s  wounds  unto  even  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth.”  They  were  not  called  to  fix  times  and 
seasons,  but  to  do  their  duty  to  the  world  by  preach¬ 
ing  righteousness  and  seeking  lost  men. 

This  proclamation  overlooks  the  gospel  of  salva¬ 
tion  through  faith  in  Jesus,  and  attempts  to  fix  “  the 
times  and  the  seasons  which  the  Father  hath  placed  in 
His  own  power.”  While  it  does  not  attempt  to  set  the 
day  nor  even  the  year,  as  some  have,  it  says,  “  I.  That 
the  present  crisis  points  towards  the  close  of  the  times 
of  the  Gentiles.  II.  That  the  revelation  of  our  Lord 
may  be  expected  at  any  moment,”  which  certainly  is 
fixing  the  time  as  now  present. 

Whatever  may  be  the  future  history  of  the  world, 
there  are  some  fundamental  facts  of  the  gospel,  and 
personal  religious  experience  that  must  be  held  with  all 
tenacity.  To  yield  these  would  undermine  the  assur¬ 
ance  of  individual  salvation,  and  destroy  the  effective¬ 
ness  of  the  gospel  appeal  of  repentance  toward  God, 
and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  These  facts  of 
faith  and  experience  are  outlined  in  what  Martin 
Luther  called  “  the  little  gospel,” —  namely,  66  For  God 
so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should  not  perish  but 
have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not  His  son  into 
the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  the  world 
through  Him  might  be  saved.”  (John  3 : 16,  17.) 


The  Millennial  Conception  of  the  Kingdom  19 


For  two  thousand  years  men  and  women  accepting 
that  gospel  have  been  made  children  of  God,  and  the 
social  life  of  nations  has  been  transformed.  The  ex¬ 
tension  of  this  saving  power  through  the  gospel  has 
given  us  our  religious  and  civil  liberties,  our  free  Chris¬ 
tian  institutions,  even  created  the  Christian  civilization 
we  so  much  prize.  What  might  not  the  gospel  have  ac¬ 
complished  for  the  world  if  it  had  been  fully  believed? 
Or,  if  the  nations  which  accepted  Christianity  had  been 
true  to  its  teachings  ? 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  THRONE  OF  DAVID 

ON  the  very  threshold  of  the  gospel  we  are  met  with 
the  angelic  announcement  to  the  Virgin  Mary  of 
the  sovereignty  of  Jesus.  “  The  Lord  God  shall  give 
Him  the  throne  of  His  father  David,  and  He  shall 
reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever,  and  of  His  king¬ 
dom  there  shall  be  no  end.”  (Luke  1 :  32,  33.) 

This  was  the  renewal  of  the  divine  promise  made  unto 
David,  by  the  prophet  Nathan,  in  connection  with  the 
king’s  decision  to  build  a  house  for  the  Lord.  The  mil- 
lennialists  insist  that  this  promise  must  be  literally  ful¬ 
filled.  That  is,  the  political  throne  of  David  in  Jeru¬ 
salem  must  be  restored,  Jesus  must  return  and  occupy 
that  throne  as  a  temporal  king,  and  reign  over  united 
Israel  and,  through  them,  over  all  the  nations  of  earth. 
The  materialistic  nature  of  these  claims  is  so  revolu¬ 
tionary  that  they  demand  very  careful  examination. 
In  order  to  get  the  exact  bearing  of  the  scriptural 
meaning  of  the  promise,  we  will  quote  the  original  mes¬ 
sage  in  full: 

And  when  the  days  be  fulfilled  and  thou  shalt  sleep  with 
thy  fathers,  I  will  set  up  thy  seed  after  thee,  which  shall 
proceed  out  of  thy  bowels,  and  I  will  establish  his  kingdom. 
He  shall  build  an  house  for  my  name,  and  I  will  establish 
the  throne  of  his  kingdom  forever.  I  will  be  his  father 
and  he  shall  be  my  son.  If  he  commit  iniquity,  I  will  chas¬ 
ten  him  with  the  rod  of  men,  and  with  the  stripes  of  the 
children  of  men:  but  my  mercy  shall  not  depart  away  from 
him,  as  I  took  it  from  Saul,  whom  I  put  away  before  thee. 
And  thine  house  and  thy  kingdom  shall  be  established  for- 

20 


The  Throne  of  David 


21 


ever  before  thee:  thy  throne  shall  be  established  forever. 
(2  Sam.  7:  12-16.) 

The  seed  of  David,  to  whom  these  promises  directly 
referred,  was  his  son  Solomon  who  immediately  succeeded 
him  and  built  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  during  his  peace¬ 
ful  reign.  The  millennialists  give  this  prophecy  an 
absolute  and  unconditional  interpretation.  That  is, 
that  the  political  throne  of  David  was  unconditionally 
and  absolutely  established  as  an  eternal  sovereignty. 
It  mattered  not  how  far  the  seed  or  successors  of  David 
might  depart  from  the  law  of  the  Lord,  the  everlasting 
stability  of  the  political  or  earthly  throne  of  David 
was  irrevocably  fixed.  But  David  himself  did  not  so 
understand  the  promise.  This  is  made  unmistakably 
clear  in  his  charge  to  Solomon : 

And  David  said  to  Solomon,  “  My  son,  as  for  me  it  was 
in  my  mind  to  build  an  house  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord 
my  God:  but  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  me,  saying, 

*  Thou  hast  shed  blood  abundantly,  and  hast  made  great 
wars :  thou  shalt  not  build  an  house  unto  my  name,  because 
thou  hast  shed  much  blood  upon  the  earth  in  my  sight. 
Behold,  a  son  shall  be  born  unto  thee,  who  shall  be  a  man 
of  rest;  and  I  will  give  him  rest  from  all  his  enemies  round 
about:  for  his  name  shall  be  Solomon,  and  I  will  give  peace 
and  quietness  unto  Israel  in  his  days.  He  shall  build  an 
house  for  my  name;  and  he  shall  be  my  son,  and  I  will  be 
his  father;  and  I  will  establish  the  throne  of  his  kingdom 
over  Israel  for  ever.’ 

“  Now,  my  son,  the  Lord  be  with  thee;  and  prosper  thou 
and  build  the  house  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  as  He  hath  said 
to  thee.  Only  the  Lord  give  thee  wisdom  and  understand¬ 
ing,  and  give  thee  charge  concerning  Israel,  that  thou 

MAYST  KEEP  THE  LAW  OF  THE  LORD  THY  GOD.  THEN  SHALT 
THOU  PROSPER,  IF  THOU  TAKEST  HEED  TO  FULFIL  THE  STAT¬ 
UTES  AND  JUDGMENTS  WHICH  THE  LORD  CHARGED  MOSES  WITH 
CONCERNING  ISRAEL:  BE  STRONG  AND  OF  GOOD  COURAGE; 
DREAD  NOT  NOR  BE  DISMAYED.  (l  Chron.  22.  7  13.) 


22 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


The  condition  for  the  prosperity  and  stability  of  the 
throne  and  kingdom  of  Israel  is  the  keeping  of  the  law 
of  the  Lord.  66  If  thou  takest  heed  to  fulfil  the  statutes 
and  judgments  which  the  Lord  charged  Moses  with  con¬ 
cerning  Israel.”  Both  the  statutes  and  judgments  are 
specifically  mentioned.  The  law  and  statutes  of  Moses 
all  carried  clearly  defined  penalties  for  disobedience  and 
this  divine  law  always  has  been  administered  by  God 
with  even  justice.  With  God  there  is  no  respect  either 
for  persons  or  for  nations. 

Solomon  clearly  recognized  the  fact  that  the  per¬ 
manency  of  his  throne  depended  upon  the  fidelity  of 
himself  and  his  people  to  the  law  of  the  Lord.  This  he 
definitely  stated  in  his  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the 
temple.  “  Therefore  now,  Lord  God  of  Israel,  keep 
with  thy  servant  David  my  father  that  thou  promisedst 
him,  saying,  4  There  shall  not  fail  thee  a  man  to  sit 
upon  the  throne  of  Israel;  so  that  (or  only  if)  thy 
children  take  heed  to  their  way,  that  they  walk  before 
me  as  thou  hast  walked  before  me.’  ”  (1  Kings  8 :  25.) 

In  our  study  of  God’s  provisions  for  Israel  and  the 
world,  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  God’s  gov¬ 
ernment  is  preeminently  moral.  The  political  was  or¬ 
ganized  incidentally  as  a  temporary  expedient.  Even 
then  the  political  is  surcharged  with,  and  controlled  by, 
the  moral  principles  of  the  law  of  righteousness.  The 
political  organization  of  Israel  as  a  kingdom  was  not 
the  primitive  arrangement  of  God.  It  was  merely  an 
expedient  that  grew  out  of  the  people’s  revolt  from  the 
theocracy.  In  all  the  control  of  the  political  fortunes 
of  Israel,  the  religious  life  predominated.  When  the 
people  forsook  the  altars  of  J ehovah,  they  suffered,  and 
became  victims  of  their  idolatrous  neighbors.  When 
they  returned  Unto  the  Lord,  they  were  restored  and 


The  Throne  of  David 


23 


strengthened.  Thus  the  theocracy  overshadowed  the 
monarchy,  to  protect  and  control  the  kingdom,  under  a 
s}Tstem  of  clearly  defined  laws. 

Failure  to  appreciate  these  facts  leaves  the  casual 
reader  of  the  prophets  open  to  the  materialistic  inter¬ 
pretation  insisted  upon  by  the  millennialists.  But  a 
comparison  of  this  interpretation  with  the  well  known 
history  of  Israel  and  the  Jews  causes  the  careful  stu¬ 
dent  to  hesitate.  If  we  isolate  the  original  prediction 
and  read  it  as  an  absolute  promise,  it  appears  as  though 
there  must  be  a  restoration  of  the  monarchy  of  Israel 
under  the  returned  Messiah,  the  promised  seed  of  David. 
But  when  we  turn  to  history,  we  find  that  there  did  fail 
a  man  of  the  seed  of  David  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
Israel.  The  Babylonian  captivity  made  a  serious  break 
in  the  line  of  succession.  Even  though  there  was  a 
partial  restoration  under  the  Maccabees,  Judah  was 
never  perfectly  free  from  foreign  domination.  Though 
Herod  occupied  the  throne  when  Jesus  came,  he  was  a 
vassal  of  Rome,  and  a  king  in  name  more  than  in  fact. 
The  sovereign  power  was  vested  in  the  Roman  praetor, 
who  really  took  precedence  over  the  king.  After  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  this  nominal  kingship  passed 
away  and  for  nearly  two  thousand  years  there  has  been 
no  king  of  any  kind  at  Jerusalem.  This  break  is  fatal 
to  the  millennial  interpretation  of  the  promise,  “  There 
shall  not  fail  thee  a  man  to  sit  upon  thy  throne  for¬ 
ever.” 

Another  part  of  the  prediction  was :  “  Thy  house 

and  thy  kingdom  shall  be  established  forever.”  The 
house  and  kingdom  of  David  as  a  political  sovereignty 
passed  away  long,  long  ago.  Therefore,  if  we  are  con¬ 
fined  to  a  rigidly  unconditional  and  literal  interpreta¬ 
tion  of  the  promises  made  to  David  and  the  Virgin 


24 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Mary,  which  demands  an  earthly  kingdom  under  the 
rule  of  a  scion  of  the  house  of  David,  the  whole  predic¬ 
tion  breaks  down  utterly.  Under  this  interpretation, 
there  is  no  conceivable  way  of  logically  or  historically 
vindicating  these  prophecies. 

The  promise  as  taken  by  the  millennialists  is  “  There 
shall  not  fail  thee  a  man  to  sit  upon  thy  throne  for¬ 
ever.”  The  claim  that  Jesus  at  His  second  coming  will 
restore  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  assume  the  throne 
of  His  father  David,  at  Jerusalem,  in  a  literal  reign  of 
power,  does  not,  it  cannot,  dispose  of  the  fact  that  for 
thousands  of  years  there  has  not  been  a  kingdom  of 
Israel,  nor  a  house  of  David.  Suppose  according  to  the 
expectations  of  the  millennialists,  Christ  should  come 
and  restore  the  throne  and  kingdom  of  David,  that 
restoration  could  not  be  retroactive.  There  would  still 
remain  this  hiatus,  in  the  succession  covering  thousands 
of  years.  66  Forever  ”  and  “  without  end,”  admit  of  no 
such  hiatus. 

Furthermore,  the  attempt  to  satisfy  the  terms  of  the 
promise  by  a  millennial  reign  is  as  great  a  failure,  be¬ 
cause  while  it  does  not  bridge  the  chasm  of  the  past,  it 
has  only  a  limited  future.  The  millennial  interpreta¬ 
tion  predicts  that  at  the  end  of  the  thousand  years  of 
glorious  Messianic  reign  on  the  throne  of  David,  Satan 
will  be  loosed  from  his  chains  and  will  defeat  the  world 
kingdom  of  the  millennial  reign.  What  then  will  be¬ 
come  of  the  promise,  66 1  will  establish  forever,”  “  of 
thy  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end  ”  ? 

From  whatever  angle  we  consider  the  literal  and  un¬ 
conditional  interpretation  of  these  predictions,  we  are 
compelled  to  pronounce  it  wholly  untenable  and  mis¬ 
leading. 

The  millennialists  insist  on  the  alternatives:  either 


J 


The  Throne  of  David 


25 


Christ  must  come  again  and  restore  the  throne  of 
David,  or  God  has  broken  His  covenant.  But  are  we 
confined  to  these  alternatives?  May  there  not  be  an¬ 
other  interpretation  that  is  much  more  consistent  with 
the  whole  burden  of  scriptural  teaching  and  the  facts 
of  history?  We  are  estopped  from  accepting  the  mil- 
lennialist  theory  because  it  fails  to  recognize  the  facts 
of  history,  is  out  of  harmony  with  human  experience, 
and  gives  only  a  partial  view  of  the  prophecies  of  the 
Scriptures.  Unless  we  can  obtain  an  explanation  that 
will  be  consistent  with  all  interests  involved  and  produce 
a  complete  harmony  between  prophecy  and  history,  it  is 
much  wiser  and  safer  to  say  64  we  do  not  know,”  and 
reserve  judgment,  than  to  attempt  to  force  upon  the 
Scriptures  an  interpretation  that  violates  the  indispu¬ 
table  facts  in  the  development  of  the  nations  and  the  re¬ 
ligious  experiences  of  the  people  of  God. 

We  believe  there  is  a  reasonable  and  scriptural  inter¬ 
pretation  of  the  facts  concerning  the  throne  of  David 
that  meets  all  the  demands  of  history  and  prophecy. 
The  fundamental  fact  to  be  firmly  held  is  that  the  per¬ 
manency  of  the  political  house  and  kingdom  of  David 
was  conditioned  upon  the  fidelity  with  which  his  sons 
and  successors  and  the  people  of  Israel  observed  the 
law  of  the  Lord.  David’s  charge  to  Solomon  was,  44  I 
go  the  way  of  all  the  earth:  be  thou  strong  therefore 
and  show  thyself  a  man;  and  keep  the  charge  of  the 
Lord  thy  God,  to  walk  in  His  ways,  to  keep  His  stat¬ 
utes,  and  His  judgments,  and  His  testimonies,  as  it  is 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  that  thou  mayest  prosper 
in  all  that  thou  doest,  and  whithersoever  thou  turnest 
thyself:  that  the  Lord  may  continue  His  word  which 
He  spake  concerning  me,  saying,  4  If  thy  children  take 
heed  to  their  way,  to  walk  before  me  in  truth  with  all 


26 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


their  heart,  and  with  all  their  soul,  there  shall  not  fail 
thee,’  said  He,  6  a  man  on  the  throne  of  Israel.5  55  (1 

Kings  2:  £—4.) 

These  conditions  were  not  only  comprehensive  and 
explicit,  but  they  were  emphatic.  They  were  also  fa¬ 
miliar  to  all  the  teachers  and  people  of  Israel.  Not 
only  were  they  read  and  expounded  in  the  holy  sanc¬ 
tuary,  but  they  were  incorporated  into  their  songs  of 
popular  praise.  The  people  sang,  “  The  Lord  hath 
sworn  in  truth  unto  David:  He  will  not  turn  from  it: 
of  the  fruit  of  thy  body  will  I  set  up  thy  throne,  If  thy 
children  will  keep  my  testimony  that  I  shall  teach  them, 
their  children  shall  also  sit  upon  thy  throne  forever.” 
(Psalm  132:11.) 

Therefore,  the  promise  to  establish  the  political 
throne  of  David  forever  was  not  made  absolute  and  in¬ 
dependent  of  all  moral  considerations.  To  regard  it  so 
is  to  do  violence  to  the  moral  government  of  God.  The 
endurance  of  the  kingdom  and  throne  was  conditioned 
upon  the  spiritual  character  of  the  king  and  his  people 
as  proved  by  their  whole-hearted  obedience  to  the  re¬ 
vealed  law  of  God.  It  is  a  well  authenticated  fact  that 
when  Israel  obeyed  the  word  of  the  Lord,  he  prospered 
and  overcame  all  his  enemies.  But  when  he  turned  to 
other  gods  and  practiced  abominations,  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  departed  from  him,  and  his  kingdom  was  overrun 
and  subdued  by  his  foes.  Though  Solomon’s  reign  be¬ 
gan  in  great  glory  and  promise,  in  his  later  years  his 
heart  was  turned  away  from  the  Lord  his  God,  and  un¬ 
der  his  son  and  successor,  Rehoboam,  his  kingdom  was 
disrupted.  That  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Idol¬ 
atry  with  its  attendant  evils  waxed  worse  and  worse  un¬ 
til  the  divided  kingdoms  were  destroyed.  First  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  by  the  Assyrians,  and  later  the  king- 


The  Throne  of  David 


27 


dom  of  Judah  by  the  Babylonians ;  and  the  people  were 
carried  into  captivity  from  which  only  a  small  remnant 
ever  returned. 

When  the  party  of  the  second  part  of  a  covenant  vio¬ 
lates  the  conditions  of  the  agreement,  the  party  of  the 
first  part  is  relieved  of  his  obligations,  unless  it  be  to 
impose  the  penalties  stipulated  in  the  contract.  To 
condone  the  violation  of  the  covenant  would  make  the 
party  of  the  first  part  an  accomplice  after  the  fact  with 
the  violator,  and  a  sharer  of  his  guilt.  When  the  king 
and  people  of  Israel,  the  parties  of  the  second  part,  had 
persisted  for  centuries  against  all  the  compassion,  long- 
suffering,  and  forgiveness  of  God,  the  party  of  the  first 
part,  to  violate  all  the  provisions  of  the  divine  cove¬ 
nants,  there  was  nothing  left  for  the  Most  High,  but 
to  withdraw  His  protecting  hand  and  permit  the  pre¬ 
scribed  penalty  to  fall  upon  the  transgressors.  The 
prophet  Ezekiel  makes  this  clear.  (Ezekiel,  chs.  18 
and  33.)  With  Ezekiel  agreed  all  the  prophets.  The 
burden  of  the  prophecies  is  a  bitter  wail  over  the  dis¬ 
obedience  of  the  people,  and  the  consequent  destruction 
they  were  courting,  accompanied  with  the  radiant  prom¬ 
ises  of  prosperity  and  great  glory  if  they  would  repent 
of  their  sins  and  return  to  God.  The  Lord  by  the 
mouth  of  Hosea  made  this  terse  but  urgent  appeal,  “  O 
Israel,  thou  hast  destroyed  thyself,  but  in  me  is  thy 
help.”  (Hosea  13:9.)  To  Ezekiel  the  Lord  said, 
“  Say  unto  them,  6  As  I  live,’  saith  the  Lord  God,  4 1 
have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked;  but  that 
the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and  live :  turn  ye,  turn 
ye,  for  why  will  ye  die,  0  house  of  Israel?  5  ”  (Ezek. 
33:11.)  After  struggling  long  to  save  backsliding 
Israel,  the  Lord  said,  “  Ephraim  is  joined  to  his  idols: 
let  him  alone.”  (Hosea  4:17.) 


28 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


As  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  dis¬ 
persion  of  the  Jews  to  be  without  a  country  or  a  king, 
drew  near,  Jesus  placed  the  whole  responsibility  for 
the  approaching  disaster  upon  the  wayward  and  unre¬ 
pentant  people.  On  His  last  visit  to  the  Holy  City, 
when  the  multitudes  followed  Him  with  such  loud  ac¬ 
claim,  spreading  their  garments  in  the  way,  waving  the 
palm  branches  of  victory,  and  shouting  their  praise 
unto  God  44  for  all  the  mighty  works  that  they  had  seen, 
saying,  4  Blessed  be  the  king  that  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord :  peace  in  heaven  and  glory  in  the  highest,’  ” 
Jesus  looking  upon  the  Holy  City  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  was  deeply  moved  by  its  rejection  of  God. 
From  His  point  of  vantage,  He  looked  into  the  future 
and  saw  the  armies  of  the  enemy  laying  it  waste,  and 
He  wept.  With  the  tears  of  sorrow  coursing  down 
His  cheeks,  He  broke  forth  in  this  sad  lament : 

If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day, 
the  things  which  belong  unto  thy  peace:  but  now  they  are 
hid  from  thine  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee, 
that  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  com¬ 
pass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and  shall 
lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children  within 
thee;  and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  an¬ 
other;  because  thou  knowest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation. 
(Luke  19:37-44.) 

During  Passover  week,  Jesus  spent  His  days  in  the 
Holy  City  teaching  and  working  in  the  temple,  in  a  last 
great  effort  to  turn  the  people  to  God  and  save  them 
from  the  pending  disaster.  When  taking  His  final  leave 
from  the  people,  He  preferred  this  serious  charge 
against  them,  44  Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you 
prophets,  and  wise  men  and  scribes:  and  some  of  them 
ye  shall  kill  and  crucify;  and  some  of  them  ye  shall 


The  Throne  of  David 


29 


scourge  in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute  them  from 
city  to  city :  that  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous 
blood  shed  upon  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  righteous 
Abel  to  the  blood  of  Zacharias,  son  of  Barachias,  whom 
you  slew  between  the  temple  and  the  altar.  Verily  I 
say  unto  you  all  these  things  shall  come  upon  this 
generation. 

“  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  proph¬ 
ets  and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thee  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wing,  but  ye  would 
not.  Behold  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate.” 
(Matt.  2J:  34-38.)  Special  attention  is  called  to  the 
conditions,  “  But  ye  would  not,”  and  “  Because  thou 
knewest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation.”  The  respon¬ 
sibility  for  the  ignorance  and  refusal  was  with  the  peo¬ 
ple.  For  centuries  God  by  the  mouth  of  His  prophets 
and  by  the  continuous  manifestations  of  His  grace  and 
power,  labored  to  save  Israel  from  the  dire  disaster  of 
idolatry  and  immorality,  which  they  were  bringing  upon 
themselves,  but  they  would  not  be  saved.  When  God 
sent  His  son  in  a  final  effort,  and  thus  exhausted  the 
content  of  mercy,  and  grace,  they  rejected  all  overtures 
of  love,  and  crucified  their  Lord.  Therefore,  the  over¬ 
throw  of  the  reigning  house  of  David,  and  the  absolute 
destruction  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  were  not  due  to 
any  failure  or  unfaithfulness  on  the  part  of  God,  but 
the  inevitable  result  of  the  people’s  own  rebellion  against 
God  and  His  law :  according  to  the  warning  of  Isaiah, 
“  If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat  of  the  good 
of  the  land ;  but  if  ye  refuse  and  rebel  ye  shall  be  de¬ 
voured  by  the  sword ;  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath 

spoken  it.”  (Isa.  1 : 19,  20.) 

We  now  return  to  the  angel’s  promise  to  the  Virgin 


80 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Mary  with  which  this  chapter  opens.  Those  who 
adopt  the  political  and  materialistic  theory  that  Christ 
must  come  again  and  restore  the  throne  of  David 
are  confronted  with  grave  difficulties.  This  literal  in¬ 
terpretation  instead  of  extricating  them  from  the  per¬ 
plexities  of  the  passage,  only  multiplies  their  problems. 
The  attitude  of  Jesus  toward  the  political  aspirations 
of  the  Jews  shows  that  He  did  not  accept  the  promise 
in  a  political  sense.  The  people,  as  has  been  shown 
above,  who  favored  His  Messianic  claim  expected  Him 
to  take  immediate  steps  to  reclaim  the  throne  of  David. 
But  Jesus  repudiated  all  claims  to  political  preroga¬ 
tives  and  powers.  He  carefully  avoided  everything, 
whether  of  word  or  act,  that  would  indicate  any  aspira¬ 
tion  toward  an  earthly  throne,  even  with  spiritual  and 
heavenly  prerogatives.  He  quickly  resented  and  frus¬ 
trated  every  proposition  to  make  Him  king.  He  was 
always  particular  to  show  loyal  deference  to  the  exist¬ 
ing  sovereign  power,  even  though  it  was  that  of  the 
Romans,  so  hated  by  His  people.  He  even  directed 
that  the  disputed  tribute  be  paid  according  to  the 
Roman  requirements,  saying,  44  Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Caesar’s  and  unto  God  the  things  that 
are  God’s.”  (Matt.  22:  16—21.)  On  one  occasion  He 
performed  a  miracle  to  obtain  the  tribute  money  for 
Himself  and  Peter,  to  avoid  offending  the  Roman  law. 
(Matt.  17 :  24-27.)  He  gave  no  intimation  that  then 
or  at  any  future  time,  He  expected  to  assume  an  earthly 
throne,  displace  all  existing  rulers  and  dominate  the 
world  of  politics  by  regal  power.  If  God’s  plan  of  the 
ages  looks  forward  to  this  materialistic  consummation 
of  the  gospel  and  work  of  Jesus,  it  is  strange  that  He 
did  not  make  some  clear  reference  to  it  and  intimate 
that  the  people’s  interpretation  of  the  prophecies  was 


31 


The  Throne  of  David 

i 

well  founded,  but  they  had  mistaken  the  dispensations. 
But  nothing  of  the  kind  appears  in  all  His  teaching. 
He  constantly  discourages  the  popular  idea  that  the 
Messiah  was  to  restore  the  departed  political  power  and 
glory  of  Israel,  and  is  absolutely  silent  about  another 
dispensation  when  this  has  been  consummated. 

These  facts  force  the  conclusion  that  there  must  be 
a  profounder  meaning  to  this  promise  than  that  con¬ 
tained  in  the  millennial  interpretation.  In  the  inter¬ 
pretation  of  the  holy  scriptures,  it  is  necessary  to  be¬ 
ware  of  the  temptation  to  select  isolated  passages,  with¬ 
out  regard  for  their  connections  and  atmosphere,  and 
appropriate  them  to  support  some  cherished  theory  or 
dogma.  By  such  a  method,  scriptural  texts  can  be 
found  to  support  any  conceivable  theory  that  a  reli¬ 
gious  adventurer  may  wish  to  propound.  It  has  been 
said,  “  The  Bible  is  like  a  violin,  you  can  get  any  tune 
out  of  it  you  like.  All  depends  on  how  you  finger  the 
strings.”  But  the  strings  must  be  fingered  correctly 
to  produce  the  perfect  harmony  of  music.  In 
like  manner,  the  texts  of  scripture  must  be  truthfully 
handled  and  rightly  interpreted  to  maintain  the  har¬ 
mony  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  learn  its  profounder 
moral  and  spiritual  lessons.  That  is,  the  Bible  must 
be  considered  as  a  whole,  and  each  passage  studied  in 
the  light  of  its  connections,  the  history  that  lies  behind 
it,  all  parallel  passages  and  connections,  and  the  politi¬ 
cal,  social,  moral,  and  religious  atmosphere  in  which  it 
was  conceived.  Such  a  careful  study  reveals  the  fact 
that  scriptural  prophecy  has  a  profounder  meaning 
than  the  literal  terms  and  political  connections  would 
indicate.  It  is  this  profounder  meaning  that  must  be 
sought  to  give  these  M^essiamc  predictions  and  prom 
ises  their  proper  bearing.  Those  who  flout  the  pro- 


S2  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

phetic  imagery  and  spiritual  thought  and  content  do 
serious  violence  to  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

The  prophecy  of  the  angel  to  the  Virgin  Mary  is  dis¬ 
tinctly  Messianic,  and  describes  the  Messianic  offices  of 
Jesus  rather  than  His  political  prospects.  It  has  a 
much  profounder  meaning  than  could  be  contained  in  a 
promise  of  the  restoration  of  the  political  throne  of 
David.  By  tracing  out  this  messianic  meaning,  our 
vision  of  the  deep  things  of  God  is  broadened  and  clari¬ 
fied,  and  we  can  see  more  clearly  how  God  by  types  and 
symbols  revealed  the  mysteries  of  religion. 

The  throne  of  David  was  typical  of  the  messianic 
throne,  even  as  David,  himself,  was  a  type  of  Jesus. 
The  predictions  and  promises  made  to  and  of  David 
were  used  by  accommodation  to  describe  the  offices  and 
prerogatives  of  Jesus,  as  the  anointed  Son  of  God. 
This  method  of  accommodation  was  generally  recog¬ 
nized  by  the  New  Testament  writers.  Matthew  uses  it 
very  freely  when  elucidating  the  messianic  prophecies. 
For  instance,  when  relating  the  return  of  Joseph,  and 
the  young  child  Jesus,  from  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  he 
says,  u  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  of 
the  Lord  by  the  prophet  saying,  6  Out  of  Egypt  have  I 
called  my  son.’  ”  (Matt.  2: 15.)  This  is  simply  an 
accommodation  of  the  prophet  Hosea’s  historic  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  deliverance  of  Israel,  under  Moses,  from  the 
Egyptian  bondage.  The  complete  passage  as  given  by 
the  prophet  is,  “  When  Israel  was  a  child,  then  I  loved 
him,  and  called  my  son  out  of  Egypt.”  (Hosea  11:1.) 
Again,  when  Joseph  came  from  Egypt  into  Galilee, 
Matthew  says,  “  He  came  and  dwelt  in  the  city  of 
Nazareth  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
the  prophets,  £  He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene.’  ” 
What  prophets  predicted  that  the  Messiah  should  be 


The  Throne  of  David 


S3 


called  a  Nazarene?  This  question  has  been  very  per¬ 
plexing  to  commentators. 

The  best  explanation  of  the  origin  of  this  name  appears 
to  be  that  which  traces  it  to  the  word  Netzer,  in  Isaiah  11: 
1. —  the  small,  twig,  sprout ,  or  sucker,  which  the  prophet 
there  says  “  shall  come  forth  from  the  stem  (or  rather 
stump)  of  Jesse  the  branch  which  should  fructify  from  his 
roots.”  The  little  town  of  Nazareth  —  mentioned  neither 
in  the  Old  Testament  nor  in  Josephus  —  was  probably  so- 
called  from  its  insignificance  —  a  weak  twig  in  contrast 
to  a  stately  tree;  and  a  special  contempt  seemed  to  rest 
upon  it,  .  .  .  over  and  above  the  general  contempt  in  which 
all  Galilee  was  held,  from  the  number  of  Gentiles  that  set¬ 
tled  in  the  upper  territories  of  it,  and,  in  the  estimation  of 
the  Jews,  debased  it.  Thus  in  the  providential  arrange¬ 
ment  by  which  our  Lord  was  brought  up  in  the  insignificant 
and  opprobrious  town  called  Nazareth,  there  was  involved, 
first,  a  local  humiliation;  next  an  allusion  to  Isaiah's  pre¬ 
diction  of  His  lowly,  twig-like  upspringing  from  the 
branchless,  dried  up  stump  of  Jesse;  and  yet  further,  a 
standing  memorial  of  that  humiliation  which,  **  the  proph¬ 
ets  ”  in  a  number  of  the  most  striking  predictions,  had  at¬ 
tached  to  the  Messiah.  (Jamison,  Fausset  and  Brown, 
Bible  Commentary.') 

Thus,  a  study  of  the  quotations  of  the  Evangelists 
shows  that  they  followed  the  rule  of  accommodation  by 
appropriating  Old  Testament  prophecies  to  New  Testa¬ 
ment  incidents  and  facts,  a  common  practice  among  all 
New  Testament  writers,  as  well  as  Rabbinical  interpre¬ 
ters.  By  this  rule,  Matthew  could  appropriate  Hosea’s 
reference  to  the  deliverance  of  Israel  from  the  bondage 
of  Egypt  under  Moses,  to  the  bringing  of  the  young 
child  Jesus  out  of  Egypt  by  his  father  Joseph.  (Comp. 
Hosea  11:1  Matt.  2:14,  15.)  This  method  of  New 
Testament  writers  must  be  recognized  by  all  candid 
students  and  Biblical  interpreters.  Apply  this  rule  to 


34 f 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  passage  in  question  and  instead  of  its  demanding 
the  bodily  presence  of  Jesus,  seated  on  the  temporal 
throne  of  David  and  reigning  in  an  earthly  kingdom,  it 
implies  a  messianic  sovereignty  that  can  never  be  over¬ 
thrown,  but  must  abide  forever  and  ever. 

The  prophet  Isaiah  comes  a  little  closer  to  our  sub¬ 
ject.  The  messianic  prophet  definitely  describes  to  his 
generation  the  nativity  of  Jesus  and  the  character  of 
His  government  and  kingdom.  He  says : 

For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given :  and 
the  government  shall  be  upon  His  shoulders :  and  His  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God, 
the  Everlasting  F ather,  the  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  in¬ 
crease  of  His  government  and  peace,  there  shall  be  no  end, 
upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  upon  His  kingdom,  to  order 
and  establish  it  with  judgment  and  with  justice  from  hence 
forth  even  forever.  The  zeal  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  will 
perform  this.  (Isaiah  9:6,  7.) 

In  no  possible  way  can  this  prophecy  be  correctly 
applied  to  an  earthly  political  kingdom  of  Christ,  be¬ 
cause  it  is  a  direct  and  definite  prediction  of  the  first 
advent.  Christ  was  born  true  to  this  prophecy,  ful¬ 
filled  Flis  earthly  ministry,  and  ascended  unto  the 
Father  without  occupying  the  throne  of  David  in  Jeru¬ 
salem.  Even  the  principle  of  accommodation  will  not 
provide  for  such  a  restoration  of  the  throne  of  David 
as  is  claimed  by  the  millennialists.  First,  because  the 
throne  and  government  were  to  be  established  at  His 
first  advent ;  and  secondly  because  it  is  a  moral  govern¬ 
ment  that  is  described  by  the  prophet,  to  be  adminis¬ 
tered  by  the  divine  son  of  God,  under  the  moral  law.  It 
was  of  this  kingdom  that  Jesus  spoke  when  He  sajd, 
64  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous¬ 
ness.”  (Matt.  6:3 3.)  The  gospel  of  Jesus  is  the 


The  Throne  of  David 


35 


divine  exposition  of  the  laws  of  this  kingdom,  which  are 
codified  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount.  This  kingdom 
established  on  earth  by  the  incarnation  of  Jesus,  is  ad¬ 
ministered  from  the  glorified  throne  in  heaven,  of  which 
the  throne  of  David  was  the  only  fitting  earthly  type. 

This  interpretation  is  strongly  supported  by  Peter  in 
his  pentecostal  sermon.  That  we  may  get  the  full  bear¬ 
ing  of  this  inspired  exposition,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
quote  the  entire  passage.  After  explaining  to  the 
amazed  people,  that  the  spiritual  demonstration  for 
which  they  could  not  account,  was  the  result  of  the  out¬ 
pouring  of  the  spirit  of  God  predicted  by  the  prophet 
Joel,  and  rehearsing  the  known  facts  of  the  life,  death, 
and  resurrection  of  Jesus,  he  turned  to  the  profounder 
spiritual  significance  of  this  divine  movement,  with  this 
serious  and  earnest  declaration: 

Men  and  brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  unto  you  of  the 
patriarch  David,  that  he  is  both  dead  and  buried,  and  his 
sepulchre  is  with  us  unto  this  day.  Therefore  being  a 
prophet,  and  knowing  that  God  had  sworn  with  an  oath 
unto  him,  that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins,  according  to  the 
flesh,  he  would  raise  up  Christ  to  sit  upon  his  throne;  he 
seeing  this  before  spake  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that 
his  soul  was  not  left  in  hell,  neither  his  flesh  did  see  cor¬ 
ruption.  This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up,  whereof  we  all 
are  witnesses.  Therefore  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God 
exalted,  and  having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  he  hath  shed  forth  this,  which  ye  no\ 
see  and  hear.  For  David  is  not  asqended  into  the  heavens 
but  he  saith  himself,  “  The  Lord  kid  unto  my  Lord,  sit 
tnou  on  my  right  nana  until  I  make  thy  foes  thy  footstool. 
Therefore^  let  all  the  house  of  Israel  know  assuredly  that 
God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  whom  ye  have  crucified, 
both  Lord  and  Christ.  (Acts  2:  29-36.) 

The  only  logical  conclusion  to  be  derived  from  this 
passage  is  that  the  throne  of  David,  here  described,  is 


36  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

at  the  right  hand  of  God  in  the  heavens,  to  which  David 
himself  had  not  ascended.  An  attempt  to  place  it  in 
any  lower  realm  robs  the  exalted  language  of  the  in¬ 
spired  apostle  of  its  point  and  power.  He  describes  a 
transaction  that  had  been  completed,  the  closing  of 
which  made  Pentecost  possible  and  precludes  all  pos¬ 
sibility  of  taking  his  language  as  a  prediction  of  a 
transaction  which  after  two  thousand  years  is  still 
future.  The  triumph  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  and 
His  exaltation  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  were  the  irre¬ 
futable  proofs  of  His  messiahship.  The  unmistakable 
evidence  of  this  exaltation  was  the  shedding  forth  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  which  that  day  had  produced  such 
wonderful  results.  This  place  at  the  right  hand  of 
God  was  the  throne  of  David  mentioned  by  Peter. 
From  this  throne  Jesus,  as  the  Sovereign  Lord,  as¬ 
sumed  the  moral  government  of  the  world.  “  To  sit  on 
the  right  hand  of  God  means  to  be  raised  to  the  highest 
dignity  and  power  in  the  realms  of  glory,  and  admin¬ 
ister  the  laws  of  both  worlds.”  (Dr.  A.  Clark,  Comment 
tary .)  This  dignity  and  supreme  sovereign  power 
Jesus  claimed  for  Himself,  when  He  told  His  disciples, 
“  All  power  is  given  unto  me  both  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.”  (Matt.  28:  18.) 

The  throne  of  David  was  typical  of  the  throne  of 
God.  Although  David’s  throne  was  political  and  na¬ 
tional,  it  represented  to  the  people  of  Israel  the  divine 
sovereignty  of  the  kingdom,  inasmuch  as  David  was 
anointed  by  God  to  be  king  over  God’s  people  and  to 
administer  his  sovereign  powers  as  God’s  servant.  The 
national  throne,  though  the  seat  of  the  nation’s  ruler, 
when  he  is  administering  the  powers  of  the  king,  repre¬ 
sents  the  nation’s  sovereignty.  It  is  in  this  figurative 
or  representative  sense  that  we  usually  speak  of  the 


The  Throne  of  David 


37 

throne.  For  instance,  when  we  speak  of  the  throne  of 
England  we  usually  mean  the  seat  of  the  sovereign  au¬ 
thority  and  power  of  the  British  Empire. 

It  is  also  in  this  figurative  sense  that  we  use  the 
phrase,  the  throne  of  God ,  meaning  the  seat  of  the 
sovereign  authority  and  power  of  the  Almighty  ruler  of 
the  universe.  From  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the 
organization  of  Israel  into  a  nation,  the  form  of  gov¬ 
ernment  by  which  God  ruled  His  people  was  theocratic. 
The  theocracy  continued  under  the  judges  until 
the  people  became  uneasy  and  insisted  upon  having  a 
king  like  the  neighbouring  nations.  “  The  thing  was 
evil  in  the  eyes  of  Samuel,  and  he  prayed  unto  the 
Lord.”  “  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Samuel,  *  Hearken 
unto  the  voice  of  the  people  in  all  that  they  say  unto 
thee:  for  they  have  not  rejected  thee,  but  they  have 
rejected  me,  that  I  should  not  reign  over  them.’  ”  (1 

Sam.  8:  6,  7.)  Thus  back  of  the  throne  of  David,  was 
the  throne  of  the  theocracy. 

The  Jews  (or  children  of  Israel)  as  the  chosen  people 
of  God  constituted  this  theocracy  during  the  Mosaic  dis¬ 
pensation.  On  the  throne  of  this  theocracy,  David  was 
representative  king.  When  the  Jewish  race  ceased  to  be 
the  theocracy,  by  the  taking  of  the  kingdom  of  God  from 
them,  that  kingdom  was  established  on  a  new  basis,  by 
which  every  man,  Jew  or  Gentile,  was  admitted  to  form 
part  of  the  kingdom  of  faith.  On  the  throne  of  that  the¬ 
ocracy  sits  Jesus,  the  eternal  successor  of  David.  ( Whed - 
don’s  Commentary ,  Luke  1 :  32,  33.) 

In  this  case,  also,  Jesus  could  say,  “  Before  David 
was  I  am.”  The  throne  of  David  was  only  an  earthly 
manifestation  of  the  throne  of  the  theocracy,  and  repre¬ 
sented  the  Messianic  throne,  or  the  sovereign  authority 
and  power  of  Jesus  as  the  eternal  Redeemer  and  Ruler 


38  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

of  the  people  of  God.  Through  him,  the  promise  of 
the  permanency  and  glory  of  the  throne  of  David  has 
been  literally  fulfilled  in  a  higher  and  more  transcendent 

the  Jews  or  any 
others  who  centre  their  attention  upon  an  earthly 
throne.  The  man  Christ  Jesus  gathered  unto  Himself 
all  the  moral  and  eternal  significance  of  the  sovereign 
rights  and  authority  of  the  throne  of  David,  and  has 
gloriously  combined  the  human  and  divine  in  the  ad¬ 
ministration  of  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth. 

The  objection  urged  against  this  interpretation  is, 
that  it  is  an  unwarranted  spiritualization  of  literal 
prophecy.  The  question  asked  by  the  millennial  liter- 
alists  is,  “  On  what  authority  do  we  accept  as  literal 
the  promise  to  Mary,  6  Thou  shalt  bring  forth  a  son, 
and  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus  5  in  Luke  1 :  31,  and  then 
spiritualize  the  subj  oined  statements,  6  The  Lord  God 
shall  give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  His  father  David, 
and  He  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever  ’?  ” 
It  is  contended  that  the  prediction  of  the  birth  of  Jesus 
has  been  literally  fulfilled,  and  the  prediction  that  He 
would  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David  must  also  be  lit¬ 
erally  fulfilled. 

The  distinction  here  made  between  the  literal  and 
the  spiritual  is  not  well  founded.  The  spiritual  is  just 
as  literally  true  as  the  physical  and  the  material.  It 
is  perfectly  correct  to  contrast  the  literal  and  figura¬ 
tive,  or  the  physical  and  the  spiritual,  but  not  the  lit¬ 
eral  and  the  spiritual.  Figurative  language  is  used  in 
scripture  to  describe  and  explain  both  the  physical  and 
spiritual.  It  is  just  as  literally  true  that  Jesus  was 
“  exalted  to  the  right  hand  of  God  to  be  a  prince  and 
a  Saviour  ”  (Acts  5:31)  as  it  is  literally  true  that  He 
was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  The  throne  of  David 


manner  than  was  ever  dreamed  of  by 


The  Throne  of  David 


39 


He  was  ordained  to  occupy  forever,  was  not  the  politi¬ 
cal  throne  at  Jerusalem,  which  was  finally  overthrown 
by  the  Romans,  but  the  Messianic  or  Mediatorial  throne 
at  the  right  hand  of  God  44  Far  above  all  principality 
and  power  and  might  and  dominion  and  every  name  that 
is  named,  not  only  in  this  world  but  also  in  that  which 
is  to  come.”  (Eph.  1:21.)  This  is  the  throne  of  the 
theocracy  that  was  typified  by  the  political  throne  in 
the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem,  just  as  that  city  itself  was 
a  type  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  of  heaven. 

Certainly,  this  was  the  conception  of  Paul,  the 
Apostle.  Many  quotations  might  be  given  from  his 
epistles  in  support  of  this  interpretation.  One  char¬ 
acteristic  passage,  that  in  its  very  comprehensive 
sweep  gathers  up  the  apostolic  teaching,  will  be  suf¬ 
ficient  : 

Wherefore,  I  also,  after  I  heard  of  your1  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  love  unto  all  the  saints,  cease  not  to  give 
thanks  for  you,  making  mention  of  you  in  my  prayers ;  that 
the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  Glory, 
may  give  unto  you  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in 
the  knowledge  of  Him:  the  eyes  of  your  understanding 
being  enlightened:  that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of 
His  calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  His  in¬ 
heritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding  greatness 
of  His  power  to  usward  who  believe,  according  to  the  work¬ 
ing  of  His  mighty  power,  which  He  wrought  in  Christ, 
when  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead,  and  set  Him  at  His 
own  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  prin¬ 
cipality,  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every 
name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that 
which  is  to  come:  and  hath  put  all  things  under  His  feet, 
and  gave  Him  to  be  the  head  of  all  things  to  the  church, 
which  is  the  body,  the  fulness  of  Him  that  filleth  all  in  All. 
(Eph.  1 :  15-23.) 

Exalted  to  44  the  right  hand  of  God,”  means  to  sit 


40 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


with  God  on  His  throne,  and  to  reign  with  Him  on 
terms  of  equality.  This  exaltation  to  the  highest 
sovereignty  of  authority  and  power  is  an  accomplished 
fact.  Paul  wrote  in  the  past  tense,  without  hinting  the 
possibility  of  a  more  exalted  and  glorious  throne  for 
Him  to  occupy.  In  fact,  his  terms  are  exhaustive. 
Examine  them  closely ;  44  According  to  the  work¬ 
ing  of  His  mighty  power  which  He  wrought  in  Christ, 
when  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead,  and  set  Him  at  His 
own  right  hand  in  heavenly  places  (Gr*  in  the  heaven- 
lies)  far  above  all  principality,  and  power,  and  might, 
and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only 
in  this  world,  but  in  the  world  to  come.”  There  can 
be  nothing  higher,  or  more  powerful  or  glorious  either 
in  this  age  or  any  age  that  may  come  in  the  future. 
Here  the  terms  of  Paul  are  absolute  and  exclusive, 
oil  monon  en  to-aioni-touts ,  alia  hai  en  to  mellonti^  44  not 
only  in  this  age,  but  also  m  the  coming  one,  or  any  that 
may  be  coming.” 

When  the  exalted  and  glorified  Jesus  delivered  His 
messages  to  the  exiled  apostle  John  on  lonely  Patmos  to 
be  transmitted  to  the  churches  of  Asia,  He  closed  the 
series  with  the  solemn  declaration,  44  To  him  that  over- 
cometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even 
as  I  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  His 
throne.”  The  throne  of  Jesus  is  not  one  yet  to  be 
established  or  restored,  but  one  that  He  is  now  occupy¬ 
ing.  The  throne  that  those  who  overcome  will  share 
with  Him,  according  to  the  promise,  is  not  one  that  is 
yet  to  be  won,  or  to  be  taken  possession  of,  but  a 
throne  upon  which  He  is  now  sitting,  and  from  which 
He  in  unison  with  the  Father  is  directing,  or  adminis¬ 
tering  the  divine  government.  This  is  made  clear  from 
the  grammatical  construction  of  our  text.  The  state- 


The  Throne  of  David 


41 


ment  is  in  the  past  tense  and  very  emphatic.  Os  kago 
enikesa ,  kai  ekathisa ,  44  As  I  also  overcame  and  sat 
down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne.”  (Revised  Ver¬ 
sion.) 

Those  who  reason  that  there  are  two  thrones,  the 
Father’s  throne  which  Jesus  is  now  permitted  to  share, 
and  the  other  the  throne  of  David,  which  Jesus  will 
assume  in  His  millennial  reign,  and  share  with  the 
saints,  are  very  sorely  pressed  for  an  argument. 
Would  that  millennial  throne  be  more  exalted  than  the 
throne  Fie  now  shares  with  the  Father?  If  so,  it  would 
be  more  exalted  than  the  throne  of  God  which  is  not 
admissible.  Would  it  be  less  exalted  than  the  throne 
He  now  occupies?  If  so,  that  would  mean  a  second 
humiliation. 

If  the  millennial  throne,  or  the  throne  of  David 
means  the  Messiah  established  in  restored  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  as  this  world’s  political  sovereign,  however  abso¬ 
lute  and  righteous  that  sovereignty  might  be,  and  how¬ 
ever  much  it  might  be  enshrouded  with  indescribable 
rapture  and  glory,  it  could  mean  nothing  less  than  a 
second  humiliation,  for  which  there  is  no  intimation  in 
the  scriptures,  and  no  reason  in  the  revealed  plan  of 
God  for  the  redemption  and  salvation  of  the  world. 

The  simple  explanation  of  the  co-reign  of  Jesus  with 
the  Father  upon  the  throne  in  heaven  is  that  the  mes¬ 
sage  was  delivered  in  the  language  of  earth.  There  is 
no  other  medium  of  conveying  heavenly  realities  to  the 
children  of  men.  Therefore,  of  necessity,  the  language 
is  figurative.  In  ancient  times,  it  was  not  an  uncom¬ 
mon  thing  for  the  king  and  his  son  to  occupy  conjointly 
the  throne  of  the  kingdom  and  reign  on  terms  of  equal¬ 
ity.  Such  a  double  throne  is  used  as  a  figure  of  Christ 
and  His  Father  united  in  the  supreme,  divine  sover- 


42  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

eignty  both  of  earth  and  of  heaven.  There  is,  how¬ 
ever,  this  exalted  difference  between  the  figure  and  the 
reality.  In  the  figure,  the  father  and  son  are  united 
only  in  the  bonds  of  office,  but  in  the  reality  the  Father 
and  Son  are  one  in  essence  and  substance.  Jesus  said, 
66  I  and  my  Father  are  one.”  In  logic,  distinction  can 
be  made  between  them,  but  in  substance  there  is  no  dis¬ 
tinction.  Consequently,  the  throne  of  the  Father  and 
Son  is  one  throne.  It  is  the  throne  of  God,  now  occu¬ 
pied  by  the  Son,  who  was  Emanuel,  46  God  with  us.” 
(Matt.  1 : 23.)  This  identity  of  Father  and  Son  is 
thus  emphatically  expressed  by  Paul  to  Titus,  44  Look¬ 
ing  for  the  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing  of 
the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.”  (Titus 
2: 12.)  We  are  here  referred  back  to  that  remarkable 
prediction  of  Isaiah,  in  which  the  son  to  be  born  of  the 
house  of  David,  to  occupy  the  throne  of  David  and 
administer  the  government  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
called,  44  The  mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The 
Prince  of  Peace.”  (Isa.  9:6.)  This  throne  of  David 
is  the  throne  of  the  theocracy,  which  Jesus  now  occu¬ 
pies,  and  from  which  He  administers  dominion  and 
power  over  the  kingdom  of  God  in  earth  and  heaven. 
Thus  the  prediction  of  the  angel  to  Mary  has  been 
literally  fulfilled,  and  all  peoples,  tribes,  and  tongues 
are  called  upon  to  worship  the  Lord  of  glory,  who  is 
64  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  the  only  wise 
God,  to  whom  be  honor  and  glory  forever  and  ever. 
Amen”  (1  Tim.  1:17.) 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE  MILLENNIAL  EEIGN 

AN  important  featute  of  the  millennial  teaching  is 
that  at  His  second  coming,  Christ  will  reign  as  king 
in  Jerusalem  for  a  thousand  years.  It  is  from  this  that 
they  derive  their  name  millennium,  which  is  a  compound 
of  two  Latin  words,  mille  thousand,  and  annus  year. 
The  key  passage  of  scripture  upon  which  they  base  their 
theory  is,  6i  Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the 
first  resurrection:  on  such  the  second  death  hath  no 
power,  but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ, 
and  shall  reign  with  him  a  thousand  years.”  (Rev. 
20:6.) 

The  idea  of  the  saints  living  on  this  earth  for  a 
thousand  years,  arrests  one’s  attention.  It  is  very  dif¬ 
ficult  to  think  of  men  and  women  continuing  an  earthly 
existence,  through  summer’s  heat  and  winter’s  snows, 
>  in  an  unbroken  succession  of  one  thousand  calendar 
years.  We  are  reminded,  however,  that  the  saints 
who  thus  reign  with  Christ,  are  those  who  have  entered 
upon  the  resurrection  life,  and  are  possessed  of  spiritual 
bodies.  “  It  is  sown  a  natural  body;  it  is  raised  a 
spiritual  body.”  (1  Cor.  15:44.)  But  according  to 
the  millennial  theory,  those  people  with  spiritual  bodies 
will  live  in  a  natural  world.  This  earth  will  still  retain 
its  physical  features.  Of  course  they  say  it  will  be 
purified,  and  made  conformable  to  the  life  of  spiritual 
beings.  This  would  be  a  marvellous  transformation. 
Just  how  spiritual  beings  may  be  able  to  fit  into  the 
physical  conditions  of  this  world,  or  how  this  earth  may 


44 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


be  transformed  into  a  spiritual  paradise  for  the  risen 
saints  is  not  revealed.  We  are  assured,  however,  that 
God  is  going  to  do  it  and  “  with  God  all  things  are 
possible.”  This  latter  statement  must  be  accepted  with 
some  reservation,  because  God  cannot  do  an  irrational 
thing,  and  maintain  the  balance  of  his  deity,  any  more 
than  He  can  do  an  immoral  act  and  remain  a  holy  God. 
It  is  quite  irrational  to  devise  a  fanciful  scheme,  and 
then  present  as  the  outstanding  proof  of  its  possibility 
the  misappropriated  statement  of  Jesus,  “  With  God 
all  things  are  possible.”  It  is  a  very  heavy  strain  on 
one’s  intelligence  to  accept  this  scheme  on  evidence  of 
that  character.  But  the  proof  of  the  millennialists  is  in 
the  prophecy,  “  There  will  be  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth.”  (2  Pet.  3:  IS.)  Even  so,  according  to  their 
interpretation,  these  will  be  still  physical  and  subject 
to  the  physical  laws  of  this  solar  system.  They  protest 
against  the  spiritualization  of  the  prophecies,  and  in¬ 
sist  that  all  these  predictions  must  be  taken  literally. 
If  that  means  anything  at  all,  it  means  that  this  earth 
will  still  remain  a  physical  planet  subject  to  physical 
laws ;  that  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  still  remain  or¬ 
ganized  political  sovereignties ;  that  Jerusalem,  the  cap¬ 
ital  city,  will  be  a  material  city ;  the  old  material  city  of 
David,  and  the  throne  of  David,  will  be  the  material 
political  seat  of  Israel’s  sovereignty  which  David 
founded  in  the  Holy  City  on  Mount  Zion ;  and  that  the 
restoration  of  the  Jews  to  Palestine  will  be  the  regath¬ 
ering  of  the  people  of  Israel  as  a  physical  people  re¬ 
turning  to  the  home  land  from  which  they  were  driven 
by  the  invasions  of  the  enemy  nations.  Just  how  the 
risen  saints  with  spiritual  bodies  will  fit  into  these  ma¬ 
terial  and  physicial  conditions,  does  not  appear,  and 
there  are  no  attempted  explanations  for  this  strange 


The  Millennial  Reign 


45 


system.  Yet  it  is  impossible  to  escape  this  irrational 
situation  if  the  exclusively  literal  interpretation  of  the 
millennialists  is  to  be  maintained.  The  dilemma  is  en¬ 
tirely  of  their  own  creation. 

Rather  than  dismiss  the  theory  of  the  thousand  years 
at  this  point,  we  will  examine  the  premises  upon  which 
the  millennialists  base  their  conclusions.  They  have 
an  ingenious  method  of  computing  the  prophetic  num¬ 
bers  of  the  Old  Testament,  especially  the  number  seven 
and  the  term  week,  which  so  frequently  appear  in  the 
Levitical  law  and  the  predictions  of  the  prophets. 
Here  is  a  sample  of  their  reasoning: 

Upon  this  sacred  rock  of  sevens  we  can  consistently,  with 
the  Jews,  base  our  conclusion  that  we  have  the  scriptural 
week ,  week  of  weeks ,  week  of  months,  week  of  years,  week 
of  seventy  years,  week  of  times,  week  of  olams  or  aions 
(ages),  so  we  also  have  the  great  week  of  milleniums,  or 
blessed  seventh  thousand  years  of  rest.  This  scriptural 
doctrine  of  the  millenium  cannot  be  shaken,  its  root  is  in 
the  Sabbath  of  Genesis,  and  its  fruit  is  the  thousand  year 
kingdom  of  Revelation.  ( Jesus  Is  Coming ,  W.  E.  B.,  page 
39.) 

Undoubtedly  the  sacred  number  seven  in  its  scrip¬ 
tural  use  is  an  interesting  study,  but  we  can  well  af¬ 
ford  to  hesitate  before  accepting  this  writer’s  dog¬ 
matic  conclusion.  If  the  week  and  weeks  or  aions  or 
ages  and  millenniums  denote  definite  periods  of  time 
which  are  clearly  defined  in  the  scriptures,  there  ought 
to  be  very  little  difficulty  in  reaching  an  agreement 
upon  fixed  dates.  Given  definite  mathematical  data 
as  a  basis  of  calculation,  and  a  consistent  method  of 
reckoning,  such  as  these  writers  claim  to  possess,  the 
results  ought  to  work  out  with  the  exact  mathematical 
precision  of  the  rotation  of  the  planets.  But  even  the 


46 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


millennialists,  with  all  their  vaunted  skill  in  prophetic 
interpretation  and  certainty  of  chronological  data,  are 
unable  to  agree  on  44  the  times  and  seasons  which  the 
Lord  hath  placed  in  His  own  power.”  Some,  basing 
their  calculations  upon  the  44  rock  of  the  sacred  sevens,” 
were  certain  they  had  discovered  the  exact  date  when 
Christ  would  come  a  second  time.  William  Miller,  who 
began  to  preach  the  Second  Advent  in  1881  a.  d.,  pre¬ 
dicted  the  coming  of  Christ  in  1848.  He  said,  44 1  be¬ 
lieve  the  time  can  be  known  by  all  who  desire  to  under¬ 
stand  and  be  ready  for  His  coming,  and  I  am  fully  con¬ 
vinced  that  sometime  between  March  21st,  1848,  a.  d., 
and  March  21st,  1844,  a.  d.,  according  to  the  Jewish 
mode  of  computation  of  time,  Christ  will  come,  and 
bring  all  His  saints  with  Him ;  and  then  He  will  reward 
every  man  according  to  his  works.” 

So  certain  were  the  disciples  of  William  Miller  that 
the  end  of  the  world  was  at  hand  the  farmers  among 
them  did  not  do  their  planting,  all  suspended  their 
work,  and  at  the  specified  time  gathered  at  selected 
places  to  wait  for  their  Lord’s  return.  Great  was  the 
disappointment  when  nothing  unusual  occurred  and  they 
had  to  return  to  their  earthly  cares  and  toils.  But 
Mr.  Miller  was  not  disheartened.  He  reviewed  his  cal¬ 
culations  and  discovered  to  his  satisfaction,  and  the 
great  relief  of  his  followers  that  he  had  made  a  mistake. 
The  advent  was  to  be  a  year  later.  Again  prepara¬ 
tions  were  made  for  the  great  meeting  in  the  air.  But 
the  time  of  expectation  passed  and  they  were  still  of 
the  earth  earthy,  and  cumbered  with  much  serving. 
Since  1844,  many  dates  have  been  set,  followed  only 
by  as  many  grievous  disappointments. 

The  latest  adventurer,  who  made  bold  to  take 
chances  on  fixing  dates,  was  Pastor  Russell  of  Millen- 


The  Millennial  Reign  47 

nial  Dawn  fame.  He  worked  out  the  problem  of  44  the 
sacred  sevens  ”  to  his  perfect  satisfaction  and  the  grati¬ 
fication  of  his  followers.  He  was  absolutely  certain 
that  Christ  would  come  to  set  up  His  kingdom  and  in¬ 
augurate  His  millennial  reign  in  1914.  (Pastor  Rus¬ 
sell’s  books :  Thy  Kingdom  Come ,  page  23  ;  The  Time  Is 
at  Hand ,  page  75.)  This  date  is  now  well  in  the  past 
and  as  yet  there  is  no  evidence  that  Satan  is  bound, 
and  that  the  returned  Lord  is  ruling  the  world  with 
His  risen  saints.  The  ingenious  explanations  advanced 
by  the  followers  of  Russell  to  avoid  the  dilemma  into 
which  the  utter  failure  of  their  predictions  have  placed 
them,  cannot  dispose  of  the  fact  that  their  date  for 
the  dawn  of  the  millennium  was  1914,  and  their  prophe¬ 
cies  have  not  been  fulfilled  in  any  sense. 

The  folly  of  attempting  to  fix  definite  dates  has  been 
made  so  vexatious  by  the  many  disappointments  that 
the  more  conservative  millennialists  strongly  deprecate 
any  effort  to  appoint  the  times  and  seasons.  They 
wisely  accept  the  caution  of  Jesus,  44  No  man  knoweth 
the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  son  of  man  cometh.” 
And  yet,  they  persistently  maintain  that  they  can 
consistently  and  safely  base  their  millennial  theory 
upon  44  the  rock  of  the  sacred  sevens  ”  and  the  thou¬ 
sand  year  periods.  They  are  sure  that  the  prophetic 
days,  weeks,  and  years  are  to  be  taken  symbolically  for 
definite  periods  of  time  which  work  out  the  millennium 
with  mathematical  correctness.  They  apparently  see 
no  inconsistency  when  insisting  that  the  prophecies 
themselves  must  be  interpreted  literally,  and  yet  the 
sacred  numbers  involved  in  those  prophecies  must  be 
given  a  figurative  meaning.  In  working  out  their  cal¬ 
culations,  they  are  unanimous  in  the  conviction  that  of 
the  week  of  millenniums,  six  days  have  already  elapsed 


48 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


since  the  beginning  of  human  history,  and  that  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  seventh  is  now  due.  These  are  reck¬ 
oned  as  six  days  of  labor,  which  are  now  closing,  and 
“  the  blessed  seventh  the  thousand  years  of  rest,  the 
Sabbath  of  the  millennium,  which  is  now  at  hand.”  Is 
not  this  an  attempt  to  fix  dates  ? 

If  they  have  certain  data,  as  they  claim,  it  is  only 
reasonable  to  expect  that  they  should  be  able  with  some 
degree  of  accuracy  to  fix  a  definite  date  when  this 
“  Blessed  Millennium  ”  will  begin.  But  every  attempt 
to  fix  a  date  based  upon  6i  this  rock  ”  of  computation 
has  been  very  disappointing.  These  repeated  failures 
raise  a  question  as  to  the  solidity  of  the  rock  upon 
which  these  calculations  are  founded.  They  suggest 
to  minds  not  confirmed  in  millennialism,  that  the  sup¬ 
posed  “  sacred  rock  ”  is  only  a  shifting  sand-bar  of 
speculative  hypotheses.  They  at  least  give  justifica¬ 
tion  for  a  demand  for  more  definite  proof  that  the 
sacred  number  seven ,  and  the  term  week  were  divinely 
intended  to  teach  the  theory  which  is  forced  upon  them 
by  millennial  theorists. 

History  is  appealed  to  as  corroborative  evidence  of 
the  correctness  of  the  interpretation.  Quite  an  array 
of  authorities  are  quoted  to  show  that  millennarians 
have  flourished  from  the  beginning  of  Christianity. 
This,  however,  does  not  prove  the  correctness  of  the 
theory.  From  the  beginning  of  Christianity,  men  flour¬ 
ished  who  denied  the  divinity  of  Jesus.  There  are 
many  to  this  day  who  believe  that  Jesus  was  not  the 
Messiah  but  an  impostor,  basing  their  conviction  upon 
the  teaching  of  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  of  the  Jews 
who  secured  His  crucifixion  as  a  malefactor.  When  we 
bear  in  mind  that  the  central  idea  of  the  Jews  regard¬ 
ing  the  messianic  kingdom,  was  political,  that  the  Jews 


The  Millennial  Reign 


49 


formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Christian  church,  and  that  in 
spite  of  the  vision  of  Peter  on  the  house  top,  the  Jeru¬ 
salem  council  and  the  teaching  of  Paul,  a  strong  sec¬ 
tion  of  the  first  Christians  clung  tenaciously  to  Judaism, 
it  is  not  at  all  strange  to  find  that  from  the  beginning 
there  have  been  Christians  who  held  to  the  Rabbinical 
teaching  that  the  kingdom  of  God  must  be  a  political 
kingdom  under  the  reign  of  the  Messiah.  After  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  the  Judaizing  Christians 
looked  for  the  restoration  of  Israel,  and  the  reestab¬ 
lishment  of  the  throne  of  David.  These  people,  whose 
national  convictions  wrere  so  deeply  entrenched,  would 
naturally  cling  to  the  literal  interpretation  of  the 
prophets  taught  by  the  Rabbins.  The  apocalyptical 
references  of  John  to  the  thousand  years’  reign  with 
Christ,  were  accepted  by  these  literalists  as  applying 
to  the  expected  Messianic  kingdom.  At  the  close  of 
the  first  thousand  years,  there  was  a  great  revival  of 
millennial  teaching,  based  upon  “  the  thousand  year 
periods.”  A  full  period  of  gospel  history  was  rounded 
out.  Certainly,  now  was  the  time  of  the  closing  of  the 
gospel  dispensation,  and  the  beginning  of  the  millennial 
age.  The  millennialists  made  the  very  most  of  the 
time  to  impress  their  arguments  upon  the  church,  and 
the  teaching  awakened  the  spirit  of  expectancy.  Many 
were  converted  to  the  millennial  theory.  Time  rolled 
away  and  the  millennium  did  not  come.  Century  after 
century  passed,  and  the  Lord  failed  to  make  His  ap¬ 
pearance  in  the  air.  Nearly  another  thousand  years 
has  rolled  into  history,  and  yet  the  Lord  delayeth  His 
coming.  These  failures  are  presumptive  evidence  that 
there  is  a  radical  error  in  the  theory  of  the  thousand 
year  periods.  Still,  the  millennialists  hold  to  their 
theories  with  remarkable  pertinacity.  Every  time 


50 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


history  refutes  their  predictions,  like  William  Miller 
and  Pastor  Russell,  they  review  their  data,  present 
novel  excuses  that  restore  the  confidence  of  their  fol¬ 
lowers,  shift  their  ground  a  little  to  adjust  them¬ 
selves  to  the  new  demands  of  the  passing  centuries 
and  continue  their  millennarian  prophesying,  with  all 
the  exclusive  dogmatism  of  the  past.  During  the  last 
twenty-five  years  we  have  witnessed  a  great  revival  of 
these  predictions  based  on  the  thousand  year  periods, 
and  the  failure  of  these  prophecies.  Still  the  millennial 
teachers  are  not  abashed.  They  continue  their  prophe¬ 
sying  with  unabated  zeal,  and  assure  us  that  the  mis¬ 
calculations  of  the  past  have  been  finally  corrected,  and 
“  this  scriptural  doctrine  of  the  millennium  cannot  be 
shaken.” 

Just  how  they  reconcile  the  mathematical  discrepan¬ 
cies  in  their  calculations  does  not  appear,  but  despite 
the  failure  of  former  predictions  they  hold  tenaciously 
to  the  thousand  year  periods,  66  seven  of  which  make  a 
complete  number.”  According  to  their  reckoning,  the 
thousands  begin  with  the  completion  of  creation,  which 
means  the  beginning  of  human  history.  Accepting 
Ussher’s  chronology  of  the  Bible,  six  thousand  years 
have  passed,  which  mark  six  distinct  periods,  a  thousand 
years  each.  They  are  at  considerable  pains  to  show 
that  some  great  epochal  event  took  place  at  the  closing 
of  each  period.  The  next  thousand  years  being  the 
seventh  making  the  complete  number  must  be  the  mil¬ 
lennium.  The  position  is  thus  authoritatively  stated, 
“  Six  thousand  days  of  labor  have  passed ;  we  are  now  to 
enter  upon  the  blessed  seventh  thousand  years  of  rest.” 
(Jesus  is  Coming,  W.  E.  B.,  p.  39.) 

The  starting  point  of  Ussher’s  chronology  is  the 
birth  of  Christ.  We  are  now  in  the  twentieth  century, 


The  Millennial  Reign 


51 


designated  Anno  Domini ,  “  the  year  of  our  Lord.” 
Previous  to  the  birth  of  Christ,  the  time  is  marked, 
b.  c.  According  to  this  reckoning  human  history  be¬ 
gan  four  thousand  years  before  Christ.  It  is  worthy 
of  note  that  of  the  six  thousand  years  of  human  history 
according  to  this  inflexible  reasoning,  two  thousand  of 
them  have  been  since  the  birth  of  Christ. 

Think  of  it !  Two  thousand  years  since  the  Roman 
Caesar  ruled  the  world,  and  only  four  thousand  years  of 
human  history  preceding  that  time.  Is  there  any  proof 
that  this  chronology  is  correct?  If  the  starting  point 
cannot  be  fixed  with  mathematical  precision,  the  calcu¬ 
lations  must  remain  uncertain.  If  the  premises  are  un¬ 
sound,  the  conclusions  are  invalid.  It  is  now  generally 
accepted  that  the  chronology  of  the  Patriarchal  period 
is  unreliable.  There  are  evident  inaccuracies  in  its  cal¬ 
culations,  and  the  date  of  the  beginning  must  go  far¬ 
ther  back  into  antiquity.  The  most  conservative  and 
orthodox  biblical  critics  maintain  that  the  beginning 
of  human  history  must  be  many  thousand  years  earlier 
than  Bishop  Ussher  indicates.  The  seventh  thousand, 
therefore,  wmuld  be  more  likely  to  have  commenced  with 
the  birth  of  Jesus  than  with  the  twentieth  century,  and 
we  may  be  m  the  twentieth  thousand  yeais  of  human 
history.  We  cannot  escape  the  conviction  that  the 
millennialist  calculations  are  chronologically  unsound, 
and  the  conclusions  logically  fallacious. 

Some  may  protest,  “  If  we  cannot  believe  the  Bible 
in  regard  to  the  time  of  its  events,  then  what  can  we 
believe?  We  must  accept  the  statements  of  the  Word 
of  God.”  But  the  Bible  does  not  say  that  Adam  and 
Eve  were  created  just  four  thousand  years  before  the 
birth  of  Jesus.  Neither  does  the  Bible  give  us  any 
sure  data  of  the  prehistoric  period  by  which  we  can 


m 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


work  out  a  reliable  chronology.  It  is  not  divine  in¬ 
spiration  that  is  in  question,  but  human  calculations. 
Dr.  Melvin  Grove  Kyle,  lecturer  of  Biblical  Archaeology, 
Xenia  Theological  Seminary,  Ohio,  one  of  the  most  con¬ 
servative  writers,  says  in  regard  to  the  passing  away 
of  the  old,  and  generally  accepted  system  of  Biblical 
chronology : 

The  history  of  the  race  and  the  evidence  from  the  debris 
of  ruined  cities  imperatively  demand  more  time  than  that 
theory  of  the  chronology  of  the  world  allows,  and  the  vast 
number  of  dates  produced  by  archaeological  inscriptions  and 
manuscripts  show  beyond  question  that  the  chronology  of 
that  age  was  not  constructed  with  the  mathematical  rigid¬ 
ity  of  the  nautical  almanac.  ...  In  the  light  of  research 
into  antiquity,  the  rigidity  of  the  astronomical  theory  of 
chronology  must  give  way  to  a  more  flexible  system  in 
keeping  with  the  days  when  there  were  no  clocks  or  alma¬ 
nacs  and  the  people  did  not  think  in  the  terms  of  these 
later  inventions.  (Kyle’s  The  Deciding  Voice  of  the  Mon¬ 
uments  in  Biblical  Criticism ,  pp.  77—78.) 

These  facts  make  it  clear  that  we  have  no  ground  for 
assuming  that  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century 
was  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  thousand  year  period. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  if  Ussher’s  chronology  is  accepted 
the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century  would  not  be  the 
beginning  of  the  seven  thousandth  year.  Twenty  full 
centuries  are  needed  to  make  two  thousand  years. 
Therefore,  in  any  case  the  beginning  of  the  seven  thou¬ 
sandth  year  will  not  be  until  the  beginning  of  the  twen¬ 
ty-first  century. 

There  is  another  line  of  reckoning  by  which  the  day 
of  the  Lord  is  determined.  Days  and  weeks  are  to  be 
taken  symbolically.  Here  they  break  with  the  theory 
of  exact  literalism,  and  take  refuge  in  the  figurative. 


The  MUlermial  Reign 


53 


In  this  symbolic  language  of  prophecy,  a  day  is  to  be 
taken  for  a  year.  Just  why  the  prophecies  must  be  so 
interpreted,  is  not  clear.  The  Bible  does  not  say  so 
much.  It  seems  to  be  the  conjectural  hypothesis  of 
those  who  feel  they  must  make  out  a  case.  This  reck¬ 
oning  formed  the  basis  of  the  Adventism  of  William 
Miller.  He  reasoned  that  the  twenty-three  hundred 
days  of  Daniel  represented  an  era  of  so  many  years. 
(Dan.  8: 13,  14.)  This  era  began  with  the  return  of 
Ezra  in  the  year  457  b.  c.  Reckoning  a  day  for  a  year, 
these  days  would  expire  in  1843  a.  d.  Just  2300  years. 
Therefore,  this  was  the  time,  according  to  the  Advent¬ 
ists,  that  the  Son  of  man  would  come  to  cleanse  the  world 
and  begin  His  millennial  reign.  There  was  evidently  a 
serious  mistake  somewhere.  It  may  be  safe  to  con¬ 
clude  that  the  prophet  did  not  intend  a  day  to  be  taken 
for  a  year. 

Those  millennialists  who  repudiate  the  attempt  to 
fix  exact  days,  have  44  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy.” 
They  have  carefully  reviewed  the  chronology  of  the 
Bible  and  have  discovered  that  a  prophetic  day,  in¬ 
stead  of  meaning  a  year,  means  a  thousand  years. 
Therefore,  44  the  day  of  the  Lord  ”  covers  an  exact 
thousand  calendar  years.  If  this  were  applied  to 
Daniel’s  prophecy,  mentioned  above,  it  would  mean  that 
2,300,000  years  must  elapse  between  the  revival  of 
Ezra  and  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  That  would 
mean  that  there  are  yet  2,297,700  years  to  elapse  be¬ 
fore  44  the  Son  of  man  comes  in  his  glory  and  all  the 
holy  angels  with  him.”  (Matt.  25:31.)  And  yet  we 
are  told  that  the  millennial  reign  is  now  due,  and  about 
to  begin.  There  are,  however,  we  are  assured,  clear 
scriptural  statements  that  44  with  God  a  day  is  a  thou¬ 
sand  years.”  Does  not  the  Psalmist  say,  44  For  a  thou- 


54 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


sand  years  are  but  as  yesterday  when  it  is  past  and  as 
a  watch  in  the  night  ”?  (Psa.  90.  4.)  It  certainly  re¬ 
quires  a  dexterous  word  juggler  to  bend  this  passage  to 
support  the  millennial  contention.  The  meaning  is  so 
clear  that  it  is  a  very  bold  person,  or  a  blind  one,  who 
would  attempt  to  fit  it  into  the  millennial  system.  The 
Psalmist  was  simply  emphasizing  the  fact  that  to  God, 
44  who  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,”  time  is  not 
reckoned  by  days  and  years.  To  Him  44  a  thousand 
years  are  but  as  a  watch  in  the  night.”  Sleep  through 
those  hours  of  the  night  darkness,  with  no  timepiece  at 
hand,  and  then  think  of  estimating  the  number  of 
minutes  you  have  spent  in  silent  slumber.  That  is  what 
a  thousand  years  are  like  to  God.  Do  you  grasp  it? 

There  is  another  passage  that  is  appealed  to  as 
giving  definite  instruction  that  44  the  day  of  the  Lord  ” 
is  a  thousand  years.  44  But,  beloved,  be  not  ignorant 
of  this  one  thing,  that  one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a 
thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day.” 
(£  Pet.  3:8.)  To  the  millennarians  this  settles  the 
question.  It  is  conclusive.  But  if  Peter  intended  to 
give  an  infallible  canon  for  reckoning  prophetic  time, 
he  went  at  it  in  a  very  vague  and  roundabout  way.  It 
looks  as  though  he  were  trying  to  conceal,  rather  than 
reveal,  a  method  of  determining  dates.  He  does  not 
say  that  in  determining  the  time  of  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  one  day  is  equivalent  to  a  thousand  years.  Such 
a  thing  is  not  hinted.  There  were  scoffers,  walking 
after  their  own  lusts  who  were  saying,  44  Where  is  the 
promise  of  His  coming?  for  since  the  fathers  fell 
asleep,  all  things  continue  as  they  were  from  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  creation.”  (£  Pet.  3:  3,  4.)  The  time  seemed 
long,  and  this  was  used  against  the  apostle’s  teaching. 
Peter  undertook  to  enlighten  them  by  the  fact  that  God 


The  Millennial  Reign 


55 


does  not  measure  time  by  days  and  years  as  men  do. 
“  One  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a 
thousand  years  as  one  day.”  He  simply  means  that, 
“  All  time  is  as  nothing  before  God,  because  in  the 
presence  as  in  the  nature  of  God,  all  is  eternity ;  there¬ 
fore  nothing  is  long,  nothing  is  short  before  Him;  no 
lapse  of  ages  impairs  His  purpose.  And  when  the  long¬ 
est  period  is  passed,  it  is  but  as  a  moment  or  indivisible 
point  in  comparison  with  eternity.”  (A.  Clark’s  Com¬ 
mentary.) 

Surely  they  labor  in  vain,  who  pervert  the  meaning 
of  the  apostle  to  secure  support  for  the  dogma  that 
“  the  day  of  the  Lord  ”  and  44  the  day  of  Judgment  ” 
represent  a  definite  period  of  one  thousand  calendar 
years.  A  cause  that  is  reduced  to  such  straits  is  cer¬ 
tainly  lost. 

The  one  passage  to  which  all  millennialists  pin  their 
faith  is  the  vision  of  John  on  Patmos : 

And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having  the 
key  of  the  bottomless  pit  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand. 
And  he  laid  hold  on  the  dragon,  that  old  serpent,  which  is 
the  Devil,  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  a  thousand  years. 
And  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up,  and 
set  a  seal  upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no 
more,  till  the  thousand  years  should  be  fulfilled:  and  after 
that  he  must  be  loosed  a  little  season.  And  I  saw  thrones 
and  they  that  sat  upon  them,  and  judgment  was  given  unto 
them:  and  I  saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for 
the  witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  which 
had  not  worshipped  the  beast,  neither  his  image,  neither 
had  received  his  mark  upon  their  foreheads,  or  in  their 
hands;  and  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand 
years.  But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until  the 
thousand  years  were  finished.  This  is  the  first  resurrec¬ 
tion.  Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first 
resurrection:  on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power,  but 


56 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign 
with  him  a  thousand  years.  (Rev.  20:  1—6.) 

This  apocalyptic  vision  is  given  a  strictly  literal  in¬ 
terpretation.  On  this  literalism  a  very  elaborate 
scheme  is  worked  out  giving  a  detailed  program  of  the 
eschatological  operations  of  the  returned  Christ  that 
admits  of  no  variations.  The  scene  of  the  drama  is  on 
the  earth,  with  Jerusalem  as  the  capital  city.  Satan  is 
bound  for  a  thousand  years  in  the  bottomless  pit,  so 
that  he  can  neither  tempt  people  to  evil,  nor  oppose  the 
saving  operations  of  the  returned  Lord.  During  this 
thousand  years,  Jesus  will  reign  at  Jerusalem  and  ex¬ 
tend  His  kingdom  over  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
His  sovereign  power  will  be  so  absolute  that  no  one 
will  be  able  to  oppose  the  divine  will  or  reject  the  sav¬ 
ing  power  of  God.  Then  the  world  will  be  saved,  and 
all  peoples,  kindreds  and  tribes  will  be  brought  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  by  virtue  of  triumphant  divine  power. 
Faith  will  play  little  or  no  part  in  this  salvation  because 
faith  will  have  given  place  to  sight,  Man  will  have  no 
power  to  disbelieve,  and  all  men  will  be  saved.  The 
risen  saints  will  be  the  agents  and  evangelists  of 
Christ  to  save  the  world,  and  “  They  shall  live  and  reign 
with  Him  a  thousand  years.”  At  the  close  of  this  thou¬ 
sand  years,  Satan  is  loosed  from  his  chains  and  prison, 
and  given  liberty  to  go  out,  yea,  he  66  shall  go  out  to 
deceive  the  nations  which  are  in  the  four  quarters  of  the 
earth,  Gog  and  Magog,  to  gather  them  together  for 
battle:  the  number  of  whom  is  as  the  sand  of  the  sea.” 
(Rev.  SO:  8.)  Then  shall  there  be  tribulation  on  the 
earth  such  as  was  never  known  before,  Satan  will  be 
supreme. 

This  is  a  very  bare  outline  of  the  program  the  mil- 


The  Millennial  Reign 


57 


lennialists  have  arranged  for  the  millennial  reign  of 
Christ.  The  elaborate  and  intricate  details  are  so  at¬ 
tractively  painted  that  their  brilliant  colouring  is 
liable  to  hold  the  attention,  and  prevent  the  reader  from 
seeing  the  picture  in  the  true  perspective. 

According  to  this  teaching,  Christ  is  now  unable  to 
overcome  the  power  of  Satan,  because  His  kingdom  is 
not  yet  established  on  the  earth.  When  He  comes  a 
second  time  He  will  be  clothed  with  full  regal  power. 
Then  He  will  bind  Satan  with  chains,  and  throw  him 
into  the  bottomless  pit  where  he  will  have  no  power 
over  men.  Having  obtained  this  victory,  He  will  rule 
supremely  in  the  world  without  let  or  hindrance,  for  a 
thousand  years.  Then  comes  the  great  surprise! 
Satan  is  loosed  out  of  his  prison,  Christ  has  either  ex¬ 
hausted  His  power,  is  conquered  by  the  old  serpent 
whom  he  had  kept  bound  in  the  pit  for  a  thousand  years, 
or  He  voluntarily  steps  aside  and  gives  the  devil  free¬ 
dom  to  deceive  the  world,  and  destroy  all  the  good  work 
that  had  been  done  during  the  “  blessed  millennium  of 
rest.”  However  this  loosing  of  Satan,  in  the  millen¬ 
nial  scheme,  may  be  explained  it  is  not  very  creditable 
to  an  all  victorious  Lord.  If  it  is  merely  the  working 
out  of  “  the  divine  plan  of  the  ages,”  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  the  one  who  worked  out  the  plan  is  not  to 
be  admired. 

When  the  Lord  has  the  devil  so  bound  that  he  can 
neither  touch  nor  tempt  men,  and  for  a  thousand  years 
the  world  is  kept  in  this  glorious  state  of  peace,  holi¬ 
ness,  and  effulgent  glory,  why  would  the  Lord,  the 
Omnipotent  Sovereign,  set  Satan  at  liberty  to  destroy 
all  Llis  good  work  and  make  the  world  a  worse  place 
than  it  ever  was  before  the  thousand  years  of  millennial 
glory  began? 


58 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


When  the  devil  is  loosed  from  his  prison,  whom  will 
he  deceive?  The  passage  says,  “The  nations  which 
are  in  the  four  corners  of  the  earth.”  But  under  the 
millennial  scheme,  all  these  nations  will  be  converted 
and  under  the  glorious  reign  of  Jesus.  Will  Jesus 
abdicate  His  throne  in  favor  of  the  devil?  Will  Jesus 
after  He  has  conquered  the  nations,  overthrown  Satan, 
“  all  ungodly  government  and  lawlessness,  and  estab¬ 
lished  a  kingdom  in  righteousness,  having  the  church 
with  Himself  as  sovereign,  Jerusalem  as  the  capital, 
regathered  and  converted  Israel  as  the  center,  and  all 
nations  included  in  a  universal  world  wide  kingdom  of 
pure  and  blessed  government,”  ( Jesus  is  Coming ,  W. 
E.  B.,  page  37) — will  the  all  conquering  Jesus  after 
such  a  universal  and  absolute  conquest,  loose  the  bands 
of  Satan  and  step  aside  for  him  to  destroy  all  this 
glorious  work,  and  throw  the  world  into  greater  chaos 
and  sin  and  tribulation  than  was  ever  known  in  the 
worst  period  of  its  history?  Surely,  there  is  something 
seriously  wrong  in  the  interpretation  of  the  Apocalypse, 
that  runs  the  “  blessed  millennium  of  rest  ”  into  such  a 
cataclysm  of  disaster  and  tribulation.  Is  it  possible 
that  after  the  nations  are  so  wondrously  saved  from 
the  power  of  Satan  that  the  conquering  Christ  will 
abdicate  His  throne  in  favor  of  the  devil  and  turn  over 
the  nations  to  him  to  be  deceived  and  destroyed? 
Shall  these  nations  that  had  been  saved,  be  surrendered 
by  Jesus  to  be  ravished  by  sin  and  excess,  and  made  to 
suffer  indescribable  tribulation?  What  reason  can  be 
given  for  such  an  abdication  of  power,  and  withdrawal 
of  divine  protection?  If  Christ  by  the  exercise  of 
omnipotent,  irresistible  power,  in  His  millennial  reign, 
puts  Satan  in  chains  and  hurls  him  “  into  the  bottom¬ 
less  pit,  so  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no  more,” 


The  Millennial  Reign 


59 


why  does  He  not  keep  him  there  forever?  The  literal 
interpretation  of  the  promise  of  the  angel  to  the  Virgin 
Mary  makes  this  necessary.  Such  a  literal  interpreta¬ 
tion  of  this  apocalyptic  vision  would  make  the  All-wise 
God  either  a  fool  or  a  fiend. 

Furthermore,  according  to  such  a  literal  interpreta¬ 
tion,  the  saints  and  martyrs  for  the  witness  of  Jesus, 
would  have  only  this  period  of  a  thousand  years  in 
which  to  66  live  and  reign  with  Christ ”  in  undisturbed 
peace  and  safety.  After  waiting  somewhere,  presum¬ 
ably  in  their  graves,  for  thousands  of  years  for  this 
blessed  millennium  to  begin,  they  can  only  hope  for  one 
thousand  years  of  unbroken  calm  and  quiet  with  their 
glorified  Lord.  For  when  Satan  is  loosed  out  of  his 
chains,  the  saints  and  martyrs  are  exposed  to  the  trials 
and  tribulations  inflicted  by  the  infuriated  devil,  who 
has  been  granted  his  release.  The  promise  to  them 
is  of  only  “  a  thousand  years’  reign  with  Christ.” 
Surely,  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  perfect  sal¬ 
vation  has  a  more  rational,  consistent,  and  glorious 
future  to  offer  the  faithful  saints  and  martyrs  than  this 
theory  of  the  millennial  reign  promises  us. 

We  turn  to  a  more  careful  study  of  the  Book  of  Reve¬ 
lation,  and  find  that  these  thousand  year  passages  ap¬ 
pear  in  the  midst  of  the  most  exalted  figures  of  speech 
and  apocalyptic  imagery  of  all  biblical  literature.  In 
fact,  the  whole  book  of  the  Revelation  of  St.  John  the 
Divine  is  a  connected  series  of  sacred  figures  based 
upon  the  apocalyptic  and  prophetic  writings  of  the 
Jews.  The  enigmatical  language  of  the  book  has  been 
a  favorite  hunting  ground  for  all  sorts  of  religious  ad¬ 
venturers,  in  search  of  proof  for  some  freak  religious 
notion.  Nearly  every  canon  of  exegesis  is  violated  in 
the  arbitrary  efforts  to  make  the  teaching  of  Revela- 


60 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


tion  support  a  chosen  dogma.  The  most  absurd  and 
contradictory  schemes  are  urged  as  the  plan  of  God 
for  the  government  of  the  world,  and  the  salvation  of 
men.  We  are  perfectly  safe,  however,  in  assuming  that 
any  interpretation  that  throws  this  book  out  of  har¬ 
mony  with  the  clear,  definite,  and  unmistakable  teaching 
of  the  law  of  God  and  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  is 
wrong. 

Having  imposed  these  strictures,  one  might  look  for 
a  lucid  and  consistent  interpretation  of  this  passage 
that  will  harmonize  with  the  plain  teaching  of  Jesus 
and  the  apostles  as  given  in  the  gospels  and  epistles  of 
the  New  Testament.  One  does  well  to  approach  an 
interpretation  of  this  book  with  hesitancy.  It  is,  to 
say  the  least,  very  difficult  to  get  a  perfectly  consistent 
interpretation,  because  its  imagery  belongs  to  a  period 
long  past,  and  we  have  no  certain  key  to  unlock  all  its 
mysteries.  Dr.  Adam  Clark,  one  of  the  most  scholarly 
and  careful  commentators  the  world  has  ever  known, 
does  not  attempt  to  interpret  the  Revelation.  After 
giving  an  outline  of  the  various  interpretations  by 
eminent  scholars,  he  thus  explains  his  own  position : 

My  readers  will  naturally  expect  that  I  should  either 
give  a  decided  preference  to  some  one  of  the  opinions  stated 
above,  or  produce  one  of  my  own;  I  can  do  neither,  nor 
can  I  explain  the  book;  I  do  not  understand  it;  and  in 
things  that  concern  so  sublime  a  subject,  I  dare  not  as  my 
predecessors  indulge  in  conjecture.  I  have  read  elaborate 
works  on  the  subject,  and  each  seemed  right  until  another 
was  examined.  I  am  satisfied  that  no  certain  mode  of  in¬ 
terpreting  the  prophecies  of  this  book  has  been  found  out, 
and  I  will  not  add  another  monument  to  the  littleness  or 
folly  of  the  human  mind  by  endeavoring  to  strike  out  a  new 
course.  I  repeat  it,  I  do  not  understand  the  book;  and  I 
am  certain  that  no  one  who  has  written  on  the  subject 
knows  anything  more  of  it  than  myself.  .  .  .  Shall  I  have 


The  Millennial  Reign 


61 


the  reader’s  pardon  if  I  say  that  it  is  ray  firm  opinion  that 
the  expositions  of  this  book  have  done  great  disservice 
to  religion  ?  Almost  every  commentator  has  become  a 
prophet;  for  as  soon  as  he  began  to  explain  he  began  to 
prophesy.  And  what  has  been  the  issue  ?  Disappointment 
laughed  at  hope* s  career ,  and  superficial  thinkers  have  been 
led  to  despise  and  reject  prophecy  itself.  (A.  Clark’s 
Commentary ,  Preface  of  Revelation .) 

Dr.  Clark  presents  the  opinions  of  other  commenta¬ 
tors  with  such  explanations  and  safeguards  as  tend  to 
protect  the  student  and  avoid  the  idle  prophecies  and 
disastrous  conjectures  that  mar  the  work  of  others. 
When  he  reaches  these  thousand  year  passages  he  says : 

In  what  this  binding  of  Satan  consists  who  can  tell? 
How  many  visions  have  been  seen  on  this  subject  both  in 
ancient  and  modern  times !  This  and  what  is  said  in  verses 
8,  4,  and  5,  no  doubt  refer  to  a  time  in  which  the  influence 
of  Satan  will  be  greatly  restrained,  and  the  true  church 
of  God  enjoy  great  prosperity  which  shall  endure  for  a 
long  time.  But  it  is  not  likely  the  number,  a  thousand 
years,  is  to  be  taken  literally  here,  and  a  year  symbolically 
and  figuratively  in  all  the  book  beside.  The  doctrine  of 
the  millennium,  or  of  the  saints’  reigning  on  earth,  a  thou¬ 
sand  years,  with  Christ  for  their  head,  has  been  illustrated, 
and  defended  by  many  Christian  writers,  both  among  the 
ancients  and  the  moderns.  Were  I  to  give  a  collection  of 
the  primitive  fathers  on  this  subject,  my  readers  would  have 
little  reason  to  applaud  my  pains.  It  has  long  been  the 
idle  expectation  of  many  persons,  that  the  millennium  in 
their  sense,  was  at  hand;  and  its  commencement  has  been 
expected  in  every  century  since  the  Christian  era.  It  has 
been  fixed  for  several  different  years  during  the  short  period 
of  my  life.  I  believed  those  predictions  to  be  vain  and 
have  lived  to  see  them  such.  Yet  there  is  no  doubt  the 
earth  is  in  a  state  of  progressive  moral  improvement;  and 
that  the  light  of  true  religion  is  shining  more  and  more 
copiously  everywhere,  and  will  shine  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day.  But  when  the  reign  of  Christ  will  be 


62 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


at  its  meridian  of  light  and  heat  we  know  not.  In  each 
believer  this  may  speedily  take  place;  but  probably  no  such 
time  will  ever  appear  in  which  evil  will  be  wholly  banished 
from  the  earth:  till  the  day  of  Judgment.  (A.  Clark’s 
Commentary ,  Rev.  20:  1-8.) 

In  reference  to  the  martyred  saints  who  44  lived  and 
reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand  years,”  he  says,  64 1 
am  satisfied  that  this  period  should  not  be  taken  lit¬ 
erally.  It  may  signify  that  there  shall  be  a  long  and 
undisturbed  state  of  Christianity,  and  so  universally 
shall  the  gospel  spirit  prevail  that  it  will  appear  as  if 
Christ  reigned  upon  the  earth;  which  will  in  effect  be 
the  case,  because  His  spirit  shall  rule  in  the  hearts  of 
men,  and  in  this  time  the  martyrs  are  represented  as 
living  again ;  their  testimony  being  revived,  and  the 
truth  for  which  they  died,  and  which  was  confirmed  be¬ 
ing  now  everywhere  prevalent.  As  to  the  term,  a 
thousand  years,  it  is  a  mystic  term  among  the  Jews.” 
(A.  Clark’s  Commentary ,  Rev.  20:4.) 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  comments  are  pre¬ 
sented,  not  as  a  certain,  but  as  a  tentative  explanation 
of  these  figurative  passages,  but  they  have  the  merit  of 
recognizing  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  certain  knowl¬ 
edge,  and  of  not  running  counter  to  the  gospel  prin¬ 
ciple  and  plan  of  world  evangelism,  and  personal  reli¬ 
gious  experience.  Throughout,  Dr.  Clark  holds  firmly 
to  the  figurative  character  of  the  apocalypse,  and  main¬ 
tains  that  the  44  thousand  years  ”  is  not  to  be  taken  lit¬ 
erally,  but  as  a  mystical  number  must  be  considered  as 
a  figure  of  speech  or  symbol,  and  not  as  indicating  a 
definite  period  of  time. 

In  harmony  with  this  opinion,  we  may  quote  a  living 
scholar  of  prominence,  Dr.  Alfred  Faulkner,  Professor 
of  Historical  Theology,  Drew  Theological  Seminary, 


The  Millennial  Reign 


63 


Madison,  New  Jersey.  In  an  article  in  the  Christian 
Advocate ,  New  York,  he  says: 

The  book  of  Revelation  is  a  book  of  symbols  and  figures, 
made  intentionally  thus  in  order  to  hide  its  meaning  from 
the  pagans  while  heartening  and  comforting  the  believers 
during  the  persecutions  of  Nero,  or  Domitian,  or  of  both, 
and  has  distinct  relations  to  its  own  times.  It  may  also 
rest  in  part  upon  Jewish  Apocalypses.  We  have  to  be  sure 
both  of  the  surface  meaning  of  its  symbolism  and  of  the 
inner  spiritual  kernel  of  the  symbolism  before  we  can  do 
anything.  To  attain  that  we  need  an  infallibility  besides 
which  history  shows  the  papal  to  be  feeble  and  erring. 

These  quotations  from  such  eminent  and  candid 
scholars  emphasize  the  insuperable  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  arriving  at  any  consistent  and  conclusive  in¬ 
terpretation  of  this  apocalyptical  and  enigmatical 
book.  Therefore,  any  attempt  to  force  upon  these 
figurative  expressions  a  literal  interpretation,  and  to 
use  them  for  dogmatic  purposes  is  subversive  of  the 
cause  of  truth. 

The  suggestion  of  Prof.  Faulkner  regarding  the 
character  and  intention  of  the  book  is  very  plausible. 
It  is  difficult  to  credit  the  idea  that  John  the  Divine 
was  given  an  outline  program  of  the  history  of  the 
world  to  the  end  of  time.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
severe  persecution  that  was  ravaging  the  church,  as  a 
result  of  which  he  was  suffering  banishment  on  the  Isle 
of  Patmos.  It  is  very  reasonable  that  he  would  write 
a  book  for  the  times  “  to  hearten  and  encourage  be¬ 
lievers.”  But  to  do  so  he  must  avoid  adding  fuel  to 
the  fury  of  the  pagan  persecutors.  This  could  only 
be  done  by  writing,  as  it  were,  in  code.  This  code  he 
found  in  the  apocalyptic  imagery  of  Jewish  literature. 
Under  this  imagery  he  describes  the  conditions  and  ex- 


64 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


periences  then  prevailing  as  the  binding  of  Satan,  and 
reigning  with  Christ. 

The  thousand  years  being  a  mystical  number  de¬ 
mands  a  mystical  interpretation.  Dr.  Whedon  gives 
a  clue  that  leads  to  a  reasonable  explanation.  He 
says,  46  The  thousand  years  is  a  symbol.  We  have  the 
number  of  universality  —  ten  —  raised  to  a  cube.” 
(Whedon’s  Commentary.)  Ten  is  the  Jewish  mystical 
number  of  universality,  three  is  the  number  of  complete¬ 
ness  or  perfection.  One  thousand  is  ten  raised  to  the 
third  power.  When  universality  is  raised  to  the  third 
power  of  perfection,  do  we  not  have  absoluteness? 
Suppose  we  substitute  and  read  the  passage,  44  And  he 
laid  hold  on  the  dragon,  that  old  serpent,  which  is  the 
devil  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  absolutely.”  44  And 
they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  absolutely.”  This 
has  the  merit  of  being  consistent  with  the  general  teach¬ 
ing  of  Jesus  and  the  apostles  regarding  the  effect  of 
divine  grace  in  saving  man  from  sin  and  giving  him  a 
complete  victory  over  Satan.  The  expression,  44  And 
after  that  he  shall  be  loosed  a  little  season,”  seems  to 
present  an  obstacle  to  this  interpretation,  but,  this  is 
more  apparent  than  real.  According  to  the  gospel 
teaching  of  salvation,  the  victory  over  sin  and  Satan  is 
won  through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Those 
who  remain  in  unbelief,  remain  under  the  dominion  of 
Satan.  Those  who  leave  their  first  love,  and  44  return 
again  to  the  weak  and  beggarly  elements  of  the  world,” 
are  delivered  unto  Satan  again.  In  order  to  carry  out 
the  symbolism  it  would  be  natural  to  describe  this  state 
of  backsliding  as  the  loosing  of  Satan,  and  the  language 
of  Revelation  would  be  most  appropriate  for  the  pur¬ 
pose.1 

i  The  Expositor’s  Bible  gives  a  detailed  exposition  along  this 
line  that  is  worthy  of  careful  study. 


The  Millennial  Reign 


65 


Here  it  may  be  well  to  quote  a  few  of  the  many  pas¬ 
sages  of  scripture  that  literally  express  this  teaching  of 
the  gospel.  Jesus  and  the  chosen  disciples  are  in  the 
upper  room,  at  the  paschal  supper.  A  deep  gloom  had 
settled  upon  them  because  Jesus  had  announced  His 
death  and  separation  from  them  for  a  little  while. 
Jesus  then  gives  them  the  great  assurance, 44  Be  of  good 
cheer;  I  have  overcome  the  world.”  (John  16:33.) 
He  said  also,  44  The  prince  of  this  world  cometh  and 
hath  nothing  in  me.”  (John  14:30.)  On  a  previous 
occasion  Jesus  said,  44  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this 
world;  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out. 
(John  12:31.)  John,  the  author  of  the  book  of  Reve¬ 
lation,  in  his  first  letter  to  the  Christian  believers, 
wrote:  44  Ye  are  of  God  little  children  and  have  over¬ 
come  them,  for  greater  is  he  that  is  in  you  than  he 
that  is  in  the  world.”  (1  John  4:4.)  Also,  44  For 
whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world:  and 


this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  your 
faith.  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world  but  he 
that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God?  .  .  .  We 
know  that  whosoever  is  born  of  God  sinneth  not;  but 


he  that  is  begotten  of  God  keepeth  himself  and  that 
wicked  one  toucheth  him  not.”  (1  John  5:4,  5,  18.) 
Can  that  mean  anything  less  than  that  Satan  is  bound 
so  that  he  cannot  touch  the  soul  of  him  that  be¬ 
lieveth  in  Jesus?  44  For  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God 
was  manifest  that  He  might  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil.”  (1  John  3  :  8.)  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the 
apostle  uses  the  past  tense.  He  does  not  say,  44  Will 
be  manifest,”  as  if  looking  for  a  coming  again  to  bind 
Satan,  but  44  was  manifest.”  The  victory  over  Satan 
was  accomplished  when  Jesus  made  the  great  sacrifice 
on  Calvary,  and  overcame  death  and  the  grave.  This 


66 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


note  of  triumphant  victory  rings  strongly  and  clearly 
throughout  the  New  Testament,  but  gets  a  full  expres¬ 
sion  in  this  comprehensive  passage  of  Paul: 

Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God’s  elect? 
It  is  God  that  j  ustifieth.  Who  is  he  that  condemneth? 
It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  who 
is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  interces¬ 
sion  for  us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ  ?  Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  As  it  is  written. 
For  thy  sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day  long;  we  are  ac¬ 
counted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter.  Nay  in  all  these  things 
we  are  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  us. 
For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death  nor  life,  nor  angels, 
nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  crea¬ 
ture,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  (Rom.  8 :  33—39.) 

This  spirit  of  triumph  dominated  the  thought  and 
feeling  of  the  apostles.  This  confidence  was  not  in  a 
victory  over  Satan  that  was  to  come  at  some  indefinite 
time  in  the  future  when  Christ  would  establish  an 
earthly  kingdom,  but  a  victory  which  they  were  then 
experiencing.  This  was  the  confidence  of  John  when 
he  transmitted  from  Patmos  the  messages  of  the  glori¬ 
fied  Jesus  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia.  44  To  him 
that  overcometh,  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life.” 
(Rev.  2 :  7.)  44  He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt 

of  the  second  death,”  (Rev.  2:11.)  44  To  him  that 

overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna.” 
(Rev.  2:17.)  44  And  he  that  overcometh  and  keepeth 

my  works  unto  the  end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over 
the  nations.”  (Rev.  2 :  26.)  44  He  that  overcometh, 

the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment.”  (Rev. 
8:5.)  44  Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in 


The  Millennial  Reign 


67 


the  temple  of  my  God.”  (Rev.  3: 12.)  “  To  him  that 

overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne, 
even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my 
Father  in  His  throne.”  (Rev.  3 :  21.) 

These  promises  are  to  the  seven  churches  in  Asia. 
Any  one  reading  them  in  their  connections  must  be 
impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  messenger  was  deal¬ 
ing  with  present  conditions.  Those  to  whom  the  prom¬ 
ises  were  made  were  in  the  midst  of  the  conflict  of  this 
present  evil  world.  They  were  called  upon  to  obtain 
the  victory  right  where  they  were.  Any  attempt  to 
postpone  the  time  of  victory  to  a  millennial  reign,  which, 
even  to  its  advocates,  is  still  in  the  unknown  and  indefL 
nite  future,  is  an  unwarrantable  violation  of  the  divine 
messages. 

The  victory  described  in  all  these  passages,  and 
many  more  of  the  same  nature  that  might  be  cited,  is 
not  political  or  physical,  but  moral  and  spiritual.  The 
victors  might  suffer  violence  and  death  at  the  hands  of 
the  world,  and  yet  triumph  most  gloriously  in  soul  and 
spirit.  Thus  it  was  that  Jesus  overcame  Satan  and 
the  world.  Satan  could  stir  the  envy  of  the  Jews  until 
they  determined  to  secure  His  crucifixion.  Satan  could 
use  an  avaricious  disciple  to  betray  his  Lord  with  a 
kiss,  and  Satan  could  work  through  the  political  ambi¬ 
tions  and  fears  of  a  perfidious  Roman  Governor  to 
execute  the  evil  designs  of  the  Chief  Priests,  but  Satan 
could  not  touch  the  essential  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
nor  sully  His  soul  with  one  pulsation  of  evil  thought  or 
resentment.  Neither  could  he  so  seal  the  tomb  as  to 
keep  the  Lord  of  glory  confined  in  the  grave.  The 
apostle  contemplating  this  triumph  and  its  significance 
in  the  redemption  of  men  and  women,  exclaimed,  “  O 
death,  where  is  thy  sting?  0  grave,  where  is  thy  vie- 


68 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


tor j ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin;  and  the  strength 
of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks  be  to  God  which  giveth  us 
the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  (1  Cor. 
15:55-57.) 

As  Satan  was  so  bound  that  he  could  not  touch  the 
soul  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  or  rather  could  not  inflict 
one  injury  upon  His  essential  personality,  even  so  is 
he  unable  to  injure  the  soul  of  those  who  believe 
in  Jesus  unto  salvation.  Tribulation  and  persecution 
may  be  heaped  upon  them,  even  the  death  of  the  body 
may  be  their  portion,  but  if  they  maintain  their  faith, 
they  can  defy  the  powers  of  Satan,  and  fall  asleep  in 
Jesus  with  that  calm  and  peaceful  spirit  that  character¬ 
ized  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen.  (Acts  7 : 54—60.) 
This  is  certainly  what  Jesus  meant,  when  sending  out 
His  disciples  on  their  initial  evangelistic  mission  He 
said  unto  them,  “  Fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body, 
but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul.”  (Matt.  10 :  28.) 

They  cannot  kill  the  soul  because  Satan  and  all  his 
agencies  are  bound  by  the  atoning  and  saving  power  of 
Christ.  Therefore,  the  saints  are  safe,  a  kept  by  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in 
the  last  time.”  (1  Pet.  1 :  5.) 

A  careful  study  of  all  the  scriptures,  therefore,  com¬ 
pels  the  conclusion  that  there  is  not  one  clear  passage 
which  states,  or  even  intimates,  that  Jesus  shall  reign 
on  this  earth  as  king  over  the  nations  for  a  thousand 
years,  or  any  other  period  of  time.  The  reign  of 
Jesus  is  not  political  and  temporal,  but  spiritual  and 
eternal.  His  kingdom  is  already  established  in  the 
world,  and  He  rules  through  the  piety  and  righteousness 
of  His  people.  This  reign  of  Jesus  is  being  extended 
by  the  conversion  of  sinners  and  the  development  of  the 
saints.  This  leaven  of  the  kingdom  of  God  will  con- 


The  Millennial  Reign 


69 


tinue  to  work  until  the  nations  of  the  earth  are  brought 
under  His  divine  sovereignty,  and  “  He  shall  have  do¬ 
minion  also  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the 
ends  of  the  earth.”  (Psa.  72:  8.) 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  REIGN  OF  JESUS 

ALL  Christians  believe  in  the  kingly  office  of  Jesns. 

There  is,  however,  a  divergence  of  opinion  as  to 
the  time  and  sphere  of  the  Messianic  reign.  This  di¬ 
vergence  has  appeared  in  the  discussions  of  the  preced¬ 
ing  chapters.  There  it  was  shown  that  the  millennial- 
ists’  conception  is  of  an  earthly  kingdom  with  Jerusa¬ 
lem  as  the  capital,  and  Jesus  occupying  the  restored 
throne  of  David.  The  unscriptural  and  untenable 
character  of  that  contention  has  been  made  clear.  But 
there  is  another  phase  of  this  question  that  calls  for 
special  consideration. 

The  millennialists  maintain  that  when  Jesus  was  born 
at  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  He  came  to  assume  His  regal 
office  and  reign  over  the  nations  as  supreme  sovereign. 
But  the  world  rebelled  against  Him,  forcibly  ejected 
Him,  and  compelled  Him  to  return  unto  the  Father, 
leave  the  prince  of  this  world,  Satan,  as  the  owner  and 
ruler  of  the  nations,  until  the  inefficiency  of  the  gospel 
to  save  the  world  is  fully  demonstrated ;  then  Christ  will 
come  a  second  time  “  in  glory  and  great  power.”  At 
this  return,  Jesus  will  bind  Satan  and  cast  him  into  the 
bottomless  pit,  take  control  of  this  world’s  affairs,  and 
from  the  throne  of  His  father  David,  in  Jerusalem, 
reign  in  person  over  all  nations,  and  accomplish  the 
world’s  salvation. 

According  to  this  theory,  when  Jesus  was  manifest  in 
the  flesh,  and  entered  upon  His  divine  ministry,  He 
found  Satan  in  control,  and  so  strongly  entrenched  in 

TO 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


71 


the  world,  that  He  could  not  overcome  him,  therefore 
His  mission  was  a  failure.  The  betrayal  and  cruci¬ 
fixion  of  Jesus  was  a  forcible  ejection  from  the  world 
that  He  could  not  prevent.  Therefore,  the  devil  was 
the  stronger.  “  When  a  strong  man  armed  keepeth  his 
palace,  his  goods  are  in  peace :  but  when  a  stronger  than 
he  shall  come  upon  him,  and  overcome  him,  he  taketh 
from  him  all  his  armour  wherein  he  trusted,  and  divid- 
eth  his  spoils.”  (Luke  11:21,  22.)  Jesus  made  this 
statement  to  emphasize  His  claim  that  He  was  able  to 
cast  the  devil  out  of  the  world  even  as  He  cast  the  devil 
out  of  the  possessed  people  that  were  brought  to  Him. 
If  the  millennialists  are  right  the  Master  was  mistaken. 
He  was  not  able  to  dispossess  Satan  and  cast  him  out, 
but  on  the  contrary  Jesus  Himself  was  overcome  and 
cast  out,  leaving  Satan  in  full  possession  of  the  world. 
In  His  helplessness,  Jesus  had  to  return  unto  the 
Father.  He  is  now  awaiting  a  favorable  time  and  op¬ 
portunity  when  He  can  come  again  and  successfully 
compete  with  the  power  of  the  devil.  Then  by  the  full 
exercise  of  sovereign  power,  He  will  overcome  his 
satanic  majesty,  bind  him  in  chains  and  put  him  in 
prison,  and  He  will  have  a  free  hand  to  save  the  world. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  such  a  grotesque 
presentation  of  the  gospel  can  be  accepted  by  intelli¬ 
gent  readers  of  the  scriptures.  If  Jesus  can  at  any 
time  in  the  sweep  of  the  eternities  overcome  the  devil 
and  cast  him  out,  why  could  He  not  do  it  when  He  said, 
“  All  power  is  given  unto  me,  in  heaven,  and  in  earth  ”  ? 
(Matt.  28:  18.)  Why  can  He  not  do  it  now?  If  it  is, 
or  will  be,  possible  for  Jesus,  at  any  time  to  save  the 
world  by  “  might  or  by  power,”  why  has  He  not  been 
able  to  do  so  in  the  past?  Why  is  He  not  able  to  do 
so  now?  If  able,  why  does  He  not  do  it?  Can  it  be 


72 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  deliberately  worked  out  and  inflexible  plan  of  the 
All -wise  and  All-merciful  God,  that  the  world  should  be 
under  the  autocratic  rule  and  dominion  of  Satan  for 
thousands  of  years,  while  He  reserves  unto  Himself  the 
sovereign  might  suddenly  to  eject  the  enemy  of  all 
good,  and  by  a  sweep  of  glorious  power  to  save  the 
world  from  sin  and  all  its  awful  consequences?  To  say 
that  God,  through  Jesus,  is  able  to  save  the  world  by 
the  exercise  of  force  at  one  period  of  the  world’s  devel¬ 
opment  and  not  at  another,  is  to  impugn  His  divine 
Omnipotence.  To  say  that  at  all  times  He  can  save 
the  world  by  the  might  of  His  sovereign  will,  and  yet 
He  refrains,  and  does  not,  is  to  impugn  His  righteous¬ 
ness  and  justice. 

Did  the  world  under  the  dominion  of  Satan  so  ef¬ 
fectually  reject  its  Rightful  King,  that  He  was  com¬ 
pelled  to  leave  the  enemy  in  potential  and  actual  con¬ 
trol?  Much  of  the  fabric  of  the  millennial  theory 
hangs  on  an  affirmative  answer  to  this  question. 

It  is  true  that  Jesus  44  came  unto  His  own  and  His 
own  received  Him  not.”  (John  1:11.)  They  deliv¬ 
ered  up,  denied  and  killed  the  Prince  of  Life.  But  was 
this  action  on  the  part  of  the  Jews  a  demonstration  of 
Satan’s  superior  power?  or  merely  an  evidence  of  the 
people’s  perversity?  Were  they  able  to  take  by  wicked 
hands,  crucify,  and  slay  the  Prince  of  Life,  because 
Jesus  had  not  sufficient  power  to  set  their  designs  at 
naught,  and  prevent  their  wicked  plans?  Or  was  it 
because  the  plan  of  redemption  through  sacrificial 
atonement  required  that  He  should  die  at  the  hands  of 
wicked  men  for  the  sins  of  the  world?  Surely,  the 
cross  and  the  grave  give  the  divines t  demonstration  of 
the  sovereign  power  of  Jesus.  There  was  nothing  ac¬ 
cidental  or  casual  in  the  tragedy  of  the  cross.  While 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


73 


on  the  one  hand,  it  was  the  extreme  expression  of  human 
perversity,  on  the  other  hand  it  was  a  method  of  ex¬ 
hausting  human  iniquity,  and  paying  the  ultimate  pen¬ 
alty  of  the  world’s  sin.  Jesus  in  “  His  own  self  (vol¬ 
untarily),  bore  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree, 
that  we,  being  dead  to  sin,  should  live  unto  righteous¬ 
ness:  by  whose  stripes  we  are  healed.”  (1  Pet.  1 :  £4 ; 
Titus  2:  14.)  In  this  self-surrender  of  Jesus,  the  devil 
suffered  an  overwhelming  and  decisive  defeat.  Listen 
to  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost : 

Ye  men  of  Israel,  hear  these  words:  Jesus  of  Naza¬ 
reth,  a  man  approved  of  God  among  you  by  miracles  and 
wonders  and  signs,  which  God  did  by  Him  in  the  midst  of 
you,  as  ye  yourselves  also  know:  Him,  being  delivered  by 
the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God,  ye 
have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have  crucified  and  slain: 
Whom  God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of 
death :  because  it  was  not  possible  that  He  should  be  holden 
of  it.  (Acts  2:  22—24.) 

Can  any  one  read  that  passage  and  not  feel  that  it 
breathes  forth  the  supreme  will  and  sovereign  power  of 
God?  It  clearly  intimates  that  even  in  the  arrest  and 
crucifixion,  the  divine  power  was  supreme. 

God  having  determined  that  the  salvation  of  a  lost  world 
should  be  brought  about  in  this  way:  neither  the  Jews  nor 
the  Romans  had  any  power  here  but  wdiat  was  given  to 
them  from  above.  It  was  necessary  to  show  the  Jews  that 
it  was  not  through  Christ’s  weakness  or  inability  to  defend 
himself  that  He  was  taken;  nor  was  it  through  their  malice 
merely  that  He  was  slaiti;  for  God  had  determined  long 
before,  from  “the  foundation  of  the  world”  (Rev.  IS:  8), 
to  give  His  son  a  sacrifice  for  sin;  and  the  treachery  of 
Judas,  and  the  malice  of  the  Jews  were  only  the  incidental 
means  by  which  the  great  counsel  of  God  was  fulfilled: 
the  counsel  of  God  intended  the  sacrifice,  but  never  ordered 


74 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


that  it  should  be  brought  about  by  such  wretched  means. 
This  was  permitted,,  that  was  decreed.  (A.  Clark’s  Com- 
mentary .) 

When  the  Roman  governor,  Pilate,  irritated  because 
Jesus  did  not  answer  his  questions,  threateningly  said, 
u  Knowest  thou  not  that  I  have  power  to  crucify  thee, 
and  I  have  power  to  release  thee?  ”  Jesus  answered, 
“  Thou  couldst  have  no  power  at  all  against  me  except 
it  were  given  thee  from  above.”  (John  19:10,  11.) 
In  the  Parable  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  we  have  these 
pregnant  words  of  Jesus,  “  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the 
sheep.  .  .  .  Therefore  doth  my  Father  love  me,  be¬ 
cause  I  lay  down  my  life  that  I  may  take  it  again.  No 
man  taketh  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I 
have  power  to  lay  it  down  and  I  have  power  to  take  it 
again.”  (John  10:  15—18.) 

Therefore,  while  the  Jews  were  guilty  of  the  crime  be¬ 
cause  of  their  evil  spirit  and  intention,  they  could  not 
have  crucified  the  Lord  Jesus  and  forcibly  ejected  Him, 
if  He  had  not  voluntarily  placed  Himself  in  their  hands, 
and  submitted  to  their  indignities  and  crime.  By  so 
surrendering  Himself,  He  proved  the  depth  of  their 
envy  and  iniquity,  while  He  proved,  more  especially,  His 
power  over  His  enemies,  over  death  and  the  grave,  and 
over  Satan  himself.  He  glorified  God,  the  Father,  by 
Flis  self-sacrifice  for  human  sin  and  the  redemption  of 
the  world.  All  the  power  of  the  Jewish  hierarchy  and 
Roman  Imperialism  combined  with  the  powers  and  prin¬ 
cipalities  of  the  devil,  were  wholly  inadequate  to  arrest 
the  Lord  Jesus  until  His  hour  had  come,  and  He  had 
finished  the  work  which  the  Father  had  given  Him  to 
do.  (John  17:1-4.)  Then  He  went  away  to  the 
Father  again  to  receive  His  place  on  the  Father’s 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


75 


throne,  from  whence  He  continues  the  ministry  of  re¬ 
demption  in  the  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  Jews  were  so  blinded  by  their  misconceptions  and 
prejudices,  that  with  scoffing  and  jeering  they  hailed 
the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  as  a  great  victory  for  the 
rulers  and  priests.  They  could  not  see  that  it  was 
really  a  disastrous  defeat  for  themselves  and  a  glorious 
triumph  for  truth  and  righteousness.  This  triumph 
was  made  complete  by  His  resurrection  from  the  grave 
and  His  ascension  to  the  right  hand  of  God.  This  vic¬ 
tory  over  sin  and  Satan  He  obtained  not  for  Himself, 
but  for  all  men.  Those  who  by  faith  link  themselves 
up  with  the  all  conquering  Christ,  have  the  victory  over 
44  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.”  To  His  de¬ 
pressed  disciples  He  said,  44  These  things  have  I  spoken 
unto  you  that  ye  might  have  peace.  In  the  world  ye 
will  have  tribulation,  but  be  of  good  cheer.  I  have 
overcome  the  world.”  (John  16:  33.) 

The  ascension  of  Jesus  into  heaven  does  not  imply 
His  absence  from  the  world.  As  the  second  person  in 
the  Divine  Trinity,  Jesus  is  essentially  God  and  there¬ 
fore  omnipresent.  44  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word, 
and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was 
God.”  (John  1:1.)  Immediately  after  His  resurrec¬ 
tion,  Jesus  showed  Himself  unto  His  disciples  for  forty 
daj^s  by  many  infallible  proofs.  These  appearances  of 
their  Lord  were  so  many  assurances  that  He  was  with 
them  even  when  invisible  to  them.  During  those  crucial 
days  of  passion  week,  when  the  disciples  were  so  sad¬ 
dened  by  the  repeated  announcements  that  He  was 
going  away  to  the  Father,  He  assured  them  again  and 
again  that  He  would  not  leave  them  alone,  but  would 
come  to  them.  As  He  stated  definitely  and  emphatic- 


76 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


ally,  44  I  and  my  Father  are  one,”  even  so  did  He  em¬ 
phasize  His  identity  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  assured 
them  that  He  would  be  ever  present  with  them.  He 
said,  44 1  will  pray  the  Father  and  He  will  give  you  an¬ 
other  Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you  for 
ever.”  (John  14 :  16.)  “  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans, 

I  will  come  unto  you.”  (John  14:18,  Marginal  Read¬ 
ing.)  And  again,  44  Lo  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world.”  (Matt.  28 :  SO.)  The 
Christian’s  security  is  realized  through  the  abiding 
presence  of  the  Lord,  who  urged,  44  Abide  in  me,  and 
I  in  you.  .  .  .  He  that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him, 
the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit,  for  without  me  ye 
can  do  nothing.”  (John  15 :  4,  5.) 

Therefore,  we  are  not  worshipping  an  absent  Lord, 
who  has  been  overcome  and  ejected  by  the  sinful  world, 
but  the  triumphant  King  of  Glory,  who  is  always  pres¬ 
ent  with  His  people.  The  promise  God  made  to  Moses, 
44  My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee 
rest,”  (Ex.  33: 44)  Jesus  renews  to  every  believing 
saint. 

There  is  not  much  encouragement  and  inspiration  in 
the  teaching  that  Jesus  was  so  weak  that  He  was  over¬ 
come  and  expelled  from  the  world  by  the  power  of 
Satan  working  through  the  rulers  of  the  Jews,  leaving 
the  devil  full  owner  and  ruler  of  the  earth,  but  there  is 
an  unfailing  inspiration  in  the  knowledge,  based  upon 
the  revelation  of  the  gospel  and  Christian  experi¬ 
ence,  that  Jesus  by  His  vicarious  suffering  and  death  on 
Calvary’s  Cross,  won  a  triumphant  and  final  victory 
over  44  the  prince  of  this  world,”  and  at  the  present  time 
is  44  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  and  invisible,  the  only 
wise  God.”  (1  Tim.  1:17.)  44  The  blessed  and  only 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


77 


Potentate,  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords.”  (1 
Tim.  6:15.) 

Jesus  cannot  reign  by  the  application  of  external  au¬ 
thority  and  power  and  the  enforcement  of  statute  law, 
as  a  political  king  rules  over  his  kingdom,  any  more 
than  the  moral  salvation  of  men  can  be  achieved  by  the 
observance  of  a  religious  ritual  and  the  enforcement  of 
ecclesiastical  decrees.  Judaism  had  the  most  perfect 
civil  and  moral  code  the  world  has  ever  known ;  and  it 
was  buttressed,  supported,  and  overlaid  with  the  most 
elaborate  religious  ritual,  worship,  and  service  that  has 
been  devised;  yet  Judaism  not  only  failed  to  conquer 
the  world,  but  lost  its  own  integrity  and  vitality.  The 
whole  system  fell  into  decay  and  the  nation  disinte¬ 
grated.  When  the  Christian  church  developed  an 
elaborate  system  of  ecclesiasticism  and  political  power,, 
and  sought  to  govern  the  nations  by  external  political 
pressure,  she  lost  her  moral  energy  and  spiritual  influ¬ 
ence  and  the  nations  rebelled,  and  rejected  her  author¬ 
ity.  The  Christian  world  has  been  reformed  and  vital¬ 
ized  by  a  restoration  of  the  more  simple  system  and 
internal  moral  energy  of  the  gospel. 

The  industrial  unrest,  the  prevalence  of  political 
graft,  and  “  frenzied  finance,”  the  Great  War  and  other 
great  evils  of  the  world  are  presented  as  proofs  that 
Jesus  is  not  now  reigning,  and  that  the  devil  is  supreme 
ruler  of  the  earth.  But  the  world  is  not  wholly  bad. 
The  agencies  and  forces  of  righteousness  in  the  world 
are  worthy  of  recognition.  A  one-sided  study  of  world 
events  and  movements,  gives  one  very  lopsided  views. 
He  who  would  reach  just  and  safe  conclusions,  must 
make  a  comprehensive  study  of  world  conditions  and 
developments.  The  power  of  righteousness  as  dis- 


78 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


played  in  the  purifying  of  society,  establishment  of 
legitimate  business  and  the  commerce  of  the  world,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  growth  of  all  the  arts  and  sciences  of 
Christian  civilization,  must  be  taken  into  account. 
They  cannot  be  credited  to  the  works  of  the  devil  as 
some  millennialists  in  their  enthusiasm  contend  they 
should  be.  They  who  accredit  Satan  with  such  benefi¬ 
cent  works  transform  him  into  a  character  to  be  courted 
rather  than  eschewed.  But  do  the  existing  evils  in  the 
world  prove  that  Jesus  has  for  the  time  being  aban¬ 
doned  the  world,  and  given  it  wholly  over  to  Satan  to 
run  as  he  will?  And  that  the  good  now  manifest  will 
grow  less  and  less  until  the  [world  is  wholly  bad? 
Surely,  those  who  so  teach  get  their  inspiration  from 
some  other  source  than  the  revelation  of  God  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  existing  evils  in  the  world  no  more  prove  that 
J esus  is  not  reigning  with  His  people  than  the  rebellion 
of  the  Sinn  F'einers  in  Dublin  proves  that  King  George 
V  does  not  occupy  the  throne  of  the  British  Empire.  It 
no  more  proves  that  the  righteousness  of  God  is  a  fail¬ 
ure  in  this  dispensation,  than  the  existence  of  a  crim¬ 
inal  class  proves  that  jurisprudence  is  a  failure.  The 
limitations  and  suppression  of  the  criminal  class  dis¬ 
plays  the  need  and  efficiency  of  the  administration  of  the 
law;  in  like  manner,  the  limitations  of  unrighteousness 
in  our  Christian  civilization  prove  the  efficiency  of  the 
righteous  reign  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  existing  evils 
and  even  the  Great  War  merely  prove  that  there  are 
parts  of  our  social  order  and  political  life  that  are  not 
yet  Christianized.  In  other  words,  there  are  people 
and  groups  of  people,  who  instead  of  submitting  to  the 
righteous  reign  of  Jesus,  choose  the  evil  and  rebel 
against  God  and  the  divine  law. 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


79 


Those  who  advocate  the  bodily  return  of  Jesus  to 
Jerusalem  and  His  literal  reign  upon  the  throne  of 
David  insist  that  the  conquest  of  the  nations  for  God 
and  righteousness  can  be  accomplished  only  by  such  a 
visible  and  spectacular  demonstration  of  divine  power 
as  is  implied  in  such  a  visible  presence  and  literal  reign 
of  the  Lord.  They  maintain  that  this  will  not  be  gov¬ 
ernment  by  physical  force  but  by  divine  power.  This, 
however,  is  more  a  distinction  of  phraseology  than  of 
fact.  The  world  under  such  a  millennial  reign  would 
be  a  physical  world,  peopled  by  men  and  women  in  the 
body,  and  subject  to  all  the  physical  conditions  of  the 
earth.  The  returned  Jesus  is  to  be  in  the  body,  as 
He  ascended  into  heaven,  to  reign  as  a  visible  king 
upon  a  material  throne,  the  literal  throne  of  David. 
Such  literalism  as  is  described,  cannot  be  thought  of 
in  any  other  than  physical  terms  and  relations.  The 
government  of  the  nations  would  necessarily  be  by 
physical  agencies  administered  by  force.  The  strictly 
literal  interpretation  of  the  prophecies  demands  the 
literal  binding  of  Satan  and  the  suppression  of  vice  by 
the  external  application  of  divine  authority  and  power. 
By  this  power  all  the  kings  of  the  Gentiles,  or  the  na¬ 
tions,  would  be  brought  into  subjection  to  the  King  of 
glory  reigning  at  Jerusalem.  Thus  the  world  would  be 
governed  by  a  political  head,  enthroned  in  the  capital  of 
the  Jews.  That  certainly  would  mean  a  localized  king, 
in  a  local  capital.  Just  what  sort  of  an  organization 
would  be  developed  for  governing  the  nations  near  and 
far,  does  not  appear.  Certainly  to  rule  over  all  the 
nations,  even  if  all  selfishness  and  greed  were  eliminated, 
would  demand  an  elaborate  organization,  with  complete 
provisions  for  the  promotion  and  regulation  of  the 
production,  transportation,  and  distribution  of  the 


80 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


needed  supplies.  Whether  this  government  would  be 
on  the  lines  of  a  benign  autocracy  or  of  a  social  democ¬ 
racy,  or  an  entirely  new  line  which  has  not  yet  been 
made  known  by  revelation,  or  anticipated  by  human 
genius,  is  not  made  clear  to  us  by  our  modern  prophets. 
But  according  to  the  predictions  of  millennialism,  the 
whole  government  of  the  nations  of  the  world  will  be 
by  the  localized  central  authority  at  Jerusalem. 

If  any  person  imagines  that  this  picture  of  the  reign 
of  Jesus,  according  to  millennial  teaching,  is  overdrawn 
or  does  an  injustice  to  the  millennial  theory,  he  has 
only  to  study  carefully  the  millennial  writings,  and 
then  think  out  the  strictly  literal  interpretation  of  the 
scriptures  to  its  logical  conclusions.  The  divine  pro¬ 
cesses  must  be  logically  true  as  well  as  mathematically 
correct. 

Dr.  Len  Broughton,  one  of  the  enthusiastic  premil- 
lennial  preachers,  says,  46  It  has  always  been  God’s  pur¬ 
pose  that  His  kingdom  shall  be  established  on  the 
earth.”  He  quotes  Zechariah  14  :  4,  5,  in  support  of 
his  contention,  then  adds,  44  No  one  can  doubt  this  re¬ 
fers  to  the  earthly  kingdom.  And  it  is  a  fact  that  a 
large  per  cent  of  the  Old  Testament  references  to  Jesus 
Christ  are  to  His  coming  for  His  kingdom,  rather  than 
to  His  first  advent.  The  proper  recognition  of  this 
fact  may  account  for  much  of  the  skepticism  of  the 
world.  Certainly,  it  accounts  for  much  of  the  bewilder¬ 
ment  of  the  Jew,  He  is  looking  for  the  King.  Thank 
God,  some  day  he  shall  see  Him  in  all  the  spectacular 
glory  of  his  ancient  dreams.”  ( The  Second  Coming  of 
Christ ,  pages  35-37.)  4t  Again  this  kingly  administra¬ 
tion  of  Jesus  shall  be  personal,  not  spiritual.”  {Ibid., 
page  40.)  If  this  administration  is  not  spiritual,  then 
it  must  be  physical  and  political.  We  take  up  another 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


81 


book  and  read:  “The  millennial  kingdom  will  be  a 
literal  reign  of  Christ  on  earth,  not  a  spiritual  exalta¬ 
tion  of  the  Church.”  ( Jesus  is  Corning ,  W.  E.  B., 
page  46.)  That  can  mean  only  a  political  reign. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  multiply  quotations.  All  pre 
millennialists  agree  that  there  must  be  a  personal  and 
literal  reign  of  Christ  on  earth,  to  fulfil  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  predictions.  Under  such  a  literal  reign  is  the 
dominion  and  power  exerted  to  be  by  external  pres¬ 
sure,  forcing  the  human  will  into  submission?  Is  there 
any  other  way  of  saving  the  world  by  sovereign  power 
in  a  literal  or  physical  kingdom  that  will  compel  all 

men  to  submit  to  the  will  of  God? 

That  this  is  a  fair  application  of  the  millennial  teach¬ 
ing  may  be  further  deduced  from  the  fact  that  the  mil 
lennialists  are  unanimous  in  their  contention  that  the 
world  never  can  be  saved  by  the  gospel  method  of  in 
dividual  regeneration.  There  must  be  a  new  dispensa¬ 
tion  and  a  new  saving  principle,  adequately  powerful, 
to  compel  the  people  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Such  a  compulsion  implies  the  application  of  an  exter¬ 
nal  force  that  will  override  the  freedom  of  choice.  The 
appeal  will  no  longer  be  to  the  moral  conscience  with 
the  alternatives  of  choice,  saying,  “  Choose  ye,  and 
«  whosoever  will,”  but  by  the  application  of  sovereign 
power  or  pressure  that  will  compel  obedience  to  the 
divine  law.  Therefore,  under  the  earthly  reign  of 
Christ,  the  divine  principle  of  salvation  and  government 
that  has  prevailed  through  all  the  dispensations  of  the 
past  will  be  reversed ;  and  instead  of  men  yielding  to 
the  appeals  of  divine  grace  and  holiness,  and  volun¬ 
tarily,  under  the  quickening  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  accept¬ 
ing  the  offers  of  divine  mercy  and  pardon,  they  will  be 
released  from  their  prison  house  of  sin,  by  a  sovereign 


82 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


act  of  Christ,  much  as  the  sovereign  power  of  the  state 
grants  an  amnesty  to  all  offenders  to  signalize  some 
great  national  event.  Pardon  will  then  be  a  wholesale 
legal  process,  and  the  pardoned  will  be  compelled  to 
keep  the  law  of  God  by  the  pressure  of  this  same  sover¬ 
eign  authority.  Under  such  a  reign  of  power,  man 
would  be  deprived  of  his  essential  personality,  the  power 
of  self-decision,  and  reduced  to  the  status  of  a  mere 
piece  of  machinery  in  the  great  workshop  of  the  Al¬ 
mighty.  In  such  a  mechanical  method  of  salvation, 
there  can  be  no  moral  merit  inasmuch  as  there  is  no  re¬ 
sponsible  action  on  the  part  of  the  saved.  He  is  not 
saved  because  he  chooses  to  be,  but  because  he  had  to 
be.  He  could  not  will  anything  else.  This  conception 
of  the  reign  of  Christ  is  entirely  foreign  to  the  scrip¬ 
tural  teaching. 

The  gospel  proves  that  the  localized  bodily  presence 
of  Jesus  is  not  so  effective  in  saving  and  governing 
men,  as  His  invisible  presence  in  the  person  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  multitudes  that  gathered  around  Jesus 
and  followed  Him  from  place  to  place  were  actuated  by 
selfish  motives.  They  sought  material  benefits  and 
physical  help  rather  than  moral  good  and  spiritual 
assistance.  For  this  Jesus  rebuked  them,  saying, 
“  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  ye  seek  me,  not  because 
ye  saw  the  miracles,  but  because  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves 
and  were  filled.  Labour  not  for  that  meat  which  per¬ 
ishes,  but  for  that  meat  that  endureth  unto  eternal  life, 
which  the  Son  of  man  will  give  unto  you :  for  him  hath 
God  the  Father  sealed.”  (John  6:26,  27.)  When 
He  unfolded  to  them  what  it  meant  to  “  labor  for  the 
meat  that  perisheth  not,”  and  urged  upon  them  the 
great  spiritual  verities  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  “  Many 
of  His  disciples  when  they  heard  this  said,  4  This  is  a 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


83 


hard  saying;  who  can  hear  it.’  .  .  .  From  that  time 
many  of  His  disciples  went  back  and  walked  no  more 
with  Him.”  (John  6:  60,  66.)  In  that  heart  to  heart 
talk  with  His  disciples  in  the  upper  room  the  night  of 
His  arrest  in  the  garden,  Jesus  said,  “  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  he  that  believeth  on  me,  the  works  that 
I  do  shall  he  do  also;  and  greater  works  shall  he  do; 
because  I  go  unto  my  Father.”  (John  14<:  12.) 

There  is  no  mistaking  this  promise.  The  disciples 
strengthened  by  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  is  His  invisible  presence,  would  be  able  to  do 
greater  works  than  He  was  able  to  do  by  His  literal 
bodily  presence.  The  materialism  and  unbelief  of  the 
people  prevented  Him  from  doing  the  good  He  would 
have  done.  Dr.  Len  Broughton  intimates  that  this 
skepticism  grew  out  of  the  failure  of  the  people  to  un¬ 
derstand  the  great  discovery  made  by  the  millennialists, 
that  it  was  not  the  divine  plan  for  Jesus  to  establish 
the  kingdom  of  God  at  His  first  advent.  This  great 
transformation  was  reserved  for  the  second  coming 
which  would  be  at  least  thousands  of  years  afterwards. 
Therefore,  the  Jews  were  right  in  their  materialism  and 
Christians  are  wrong  in  teaching  that  it  was  a  spiritual 
kingdom  established  in  the  hearts  of  regenerated  men 
and  women,  bringing  society  and  nations  into  harmony 
with  the  law  of  God.  The  only  charge  that  can  be 
preferred  against  the  Jews  was  they  misunderstood  the 
time  of  the  coming  of  the  kingdom.  They  were  correct 
in  their  conception  of  its  character.  If  this  is  true, 
were  not  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus  guilty  of  mis¬ 
leading  the  people?  They  kept  the  emphasis  on  the 
assurance,  u  The  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand.”  It  is 
right  near.  Jesus,  in  the  midst  of  His  ministry  said, 
“  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  in  you,”  or  among  you. 


84 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


That  certainly  could  not  have  meant  that  it  was  thou¬ 
sands  of  years  in  the  future,  however  much  the  mil- 
lennialists  may  try  to  read  this  meaning  into  the  words 
of  the  Master.  If  that  is  what  Jesus  meant,  the  peo¬ 
ple  were  not  so  much  at  fault  when  they  charged  that 
His  schooling  was  defective.  Had  He  explained  this 
point  to  the  Jews,  the  whole  gospel  story  might  have 
been  changed.  What  object  could  He  have  in  keeping 
such  an  important  truth  in  the  dark  and  permitting  a 
whole  nation  to  perish  and  all  the  world  to  suffer  for 
lack  of  knowledge?  How  can  Jesus  be  justified  for 
permitting  the  people  to  go  to  the  bad  in  such  igno¬ 
rance,  while  He  continued  to  emphasize  the  opposite, 
that  is,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the  spiritual  gov¬ 
ernment  of  men  and  women  by  the  moral  principles  of 
heaven?  The  great  work  of  the  kingdom  was  not  to 
be  accomplished  by  His  bodily  presence,  but  by  the 
Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  working  in  and  through 
His  disciples.  At  the  mention  of  His  going  away,  the 
disciples  became  very  sorrowful.  They  were  disap¬ 
pointed  because  they  expected  Him  to  establish  a  literal 
kingdom  at  Jerusalem.  He  did  not  tell  them  that 
their  expectations  in  this  respect  would  be  realized,  but 
He  must  return  unto  the  heavens,  64  until  the  times  of 
the  restitution  of  all  things,”  then  he  would  return  and 
establish  this  kingdom.  If  such  were  His  program,  this 
certainly  was  an  opportune  time  to  enlighten  these  sor¬ 
rowful  disciples.  But  He  never  hinted  such  a  thing. 
On  the  contrary,  He  laid  the  whole  emphasis  upon  the 
spiritual  work  He  would  accomplish  through  the  min¬ 
istry  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  convincing  and  saving  the 
world.  He  must  depart  that  this  work  might  be  accom¬ 
plished.  He  could  do  more  good  for  them  and  the 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


85 


world  on  the  throne  of  God  in  heaven  than  He  could 
in  the  body  enthroned  at  Jerusalem.  Listen  to  Him. 

Nevertheless,  I  tell  you  the  truth:  it  is  expedient  for 
you  that  I  go  away:  for  if  I  go  not  away  the  Comforter  will 
not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  Him  unto 
you.  And  when  He  is  come  He  will  reprove  the  world  of 
sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment;  of  sin  because  they 
believe  not  on  me;  of  righteousness  because  I  go  to  my 
Father  and  ye  see  me  no  more;  and  of  judgment  because 
the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged.  I  have  yet  many  things 
to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit 
when  He,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide  you 
into  all  truth ;  for  he  shall  not  speak  of  Himself ;  but  what¬ 
soever  Fie  shall  hear  that  shall  He  speak:  and  He  shall 
show  you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me:  for  he  shall 
receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you.  (John  16.  7— 
15.) 

This  explanation  clearly  and  definitely  points  to  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
and  the  whole  gospel  dispensation  as  the  golden  age, 
and  the  reign  of  Christ  in  the  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
more  powerful  and  conquering  than  a  reign  of  Christ 
on  an  earthly  throne  could  be.  The  Acts  of  the  Apos¬ 
tles  make  it  plain  that  the  victories  of  Jesus  working 
through  His  disciples  after  His  ascension,  were  far 
greater  than  they  were  before  His  ascension  working 
with  His  disciples.  There  was  no  Pentecostal  revival 
until  after  the  glorified  Christ  was  “  exalted  to  the  right 
hand  of  God”  and  seated  on  His  Father’s  throne. 
Ever  since  Pentecost,  Jesus,  through  the  Holy  Spirit, 
has  been  reigning  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  His  people, 
and  through  them  influencing  the  world  for  good. 
Jesus  reigns  in  every  soul  He  saves.  The  social,  com¬ 
mercial,  and  political  life  of  the  nation  is  dominated  by 


86 


The  Kingdom,  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  amount  of  Christian  principle  that  is  infused.  Not 
by  external  force  or  physical  pressure,  but  by  the 
prevalence  of  ideas  and  principles,  originating  in,  and 
permeated  with,  the  life  of  Jesus,  do  we  find  the  efficient 
factor  which  in  innumerable  lives  will  rule  the  world 
as  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Christ  rules  the  world  by  occupying  men’s  minds, 
and  imparting  to  them  the  divine  ideas  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  This  governing  occupation  is  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Is  not  this  what  Paul  meant  when,  con¬ 
cluding  that  incisive  passage  on  the  coordination  of 
the  spirit  of  man  and  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  says,  “  But 
we  have  the  mind  of  Christ  ”?  (1  Cor.  2:  9-16.)  In¬ 

numerable  passages  might  be  quoted  to  elucidate  this 
governing  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus  through  the  Spirit. 
One  or  two  characteristic  passages  will  suffice.  The 
sixth  and  eighth  chapters  of  Romans  are  very  con¬ 
clusive.  Study  this  passage  in  particular.  “  Let  not 
sin  therefore  reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should 
obey  it  in  the  lust  thereof.  Neither  yield  ye  your  mem¬ 
bers  as  instruments  of  righteousness  unto  sin :  but  yield 
yourselves  unto  God  as  those  that  are  alive  from  the 
dead,  and  your  members  as  instruments  of  righteous¬ 
ness  unto  God.  For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over 
you:  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law  but  under  grace. 
What  then  ?  Shall  we  sin  because  we  are  not  under 
the  law  but  under  grace?  God  forbid.  Know  ye  not, 
that  to  whom  ye  yield  yourselves  servants  to  obey, 
His  servants  ye  are  to  whom  ye  obey;  whether  of  sin 
unto  death,  or  of  obedience  unto  righteousness?  But 
God  be  thanked,  that  ye  were  the  servants  of  sin,  but 
ye  have  obeyed  from  the  heart  that  form  of  doctrine, 
which  was  delivered  unto  you,.”  (Rom.  6:11-17.) 
Again,  u  Let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts.” 


The  Reign  of  Jesus 


87 


(Col.  3:15.)  Paul  repeatedly  assigns  the  victories 
of  Christ  44  to  the  exceeding  greatness  of  His  power 
to  us-ward  who  believe.”  (Eph.  1:19.)  “Accord¬ 
ing  to  the  gift  of  the  grace  of  God  given  unto  me  by 
the  effectual  working  of  His  power.”  (Eph.  3:7.) 
44  Now  unto  him  that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly 
above  all  that  we  ask  or  think,  according  to  the  power 
that  worketh  in  us.”  (Eph.  3:20.)  44  Strengthened 

with  all  might  according  to  his  glorious  power,  unto 
all  patience  and  longsuffering  with  joyfulness.”  (Col. 
1:11.)  44  Whereunto  I  also  labor,  striving  according 

to  His  working,  which  worketh  in  me  mightily.”  (Col. 
1:29.)  44  Finally,  my  brethren,  be  strong  in  the  Lord, 

and  the  power  of  His  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armour 
of  God  that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles 

of  the  devil.”  (Eph.  6:10,  11.) 

Thus  as  a  44  prince  and  a  saviour  to  give  repentance 
unto  Irsael  and  forgiveness  of  sins,”  Jesus  rules  in  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  His  people  who  yield  obedience  unto 
His  righteousness.  Through  the  evangelizing  agencies 
of  the  church,  the  kingdom  and  reign  of  Jesus  is  ex¬ 
tended  over  the  nations,  whom  He  rules  by  44  peaceful 
penetration.”  The  whole  economy  of  this  sovereign 
reign  of  Jesus  is  concisely  given  by  Himself  in  the 
great  commission  to  the  church: 

All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go 
ye,  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatso¬ 
ever  I  have  commanded  you:  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  (Matt.  28:  18—20.) 

Jesus  shall  reign  where’er  the  sun 
Doth  his  successive  journeys  run; 

His  kingdom  stretch  from  shore  to  shore, 

Till  suns  shall  rise  and  set  no  more. 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  PURPOSE  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

THE  universal  expectation  of  all  Christians  is  the 
complete  subjugation  of  the  world  by  Christ  Jesus. 
All  look  forward  to  the  time  when  44  The  kingdoms  of 
this  world  will  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of 
His  Christ.”  (Rev.  11 : 15.)  But  interpreters  of  the 
gospel  differ  widely  concerning  the  method  and  manner 
by  which  this  glorious  consummation  is  to  be  realized. 
The  millennial  teachers  insist  that  this  world  dominion 
of  Christ  is  not  to  be  expected  until  Christ  at  His 
second  coming  will  reestablish  the  throne  of  David,  and 
reign  as  king  in  Jerusalem. 

The  place  and  purpose  assigned  the  gospel  by  the 
millennial  system  claims  consideration.  Millennialism 
maintains  that  the  gospel  was  not  intended  for  the  con¬ 
version  of  the  world.  God  never  planned  to  save  so¬ 
ciety  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  divine  pur¬ 
pose  in  this  dispensation  is  merely  to  call  out  a  select 
number,  his  ecclesia  or  church,  and  prepare  them  to 
44  meet  their  Lord  in  the  air.”  But  instead  of  the 
church  influencing  the  world  for  good  and  purifying 
the  moral  and  social  life  of  society,  the  world  must 
grow  worse  and  worse,  in  spite  of  all  the  evangelizing 
movements  and  Christian  efforts,  until  Jesus  comes  a 
second  time  to  make  an  end  of  sin,  and  renew  the  world 
in  righteousness. 

Just  how  Christian  people  can  gather  from  such 
teaching  any  inspiration  and  zeal  for  world  evangelism 
and  missions  for  the  salvation  of  men  it  is  difficult  to 

understand.  According  to  the  millennial  theory,  all 

88 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel  89 

efforts  to  save  the  world  are  antagonistic  to  the  divine 
plan. 

Dr.  R.  A.  Torrey,  Dean,  Bible  Institute  of  Los  An¬ 
geles,  in  his  commendatory  foreword  to  the  booklet, 
The  Folly  of  Federation  between  the  Church  and  the 
World ,  which  has  been  freely  distributed  among  clergy¬ 
men  and  Bible  teachers,  says : 

I  heartily  agree  with  the  doctrine  of  the  booklet.  The 
message  is  one  that  is  greatly  needed.  If  the  Church  is 
to  accomplish  the  work  that  God  has  called  her  to  do,  she 
must  understand  God’s  plan  and  God’s  method,  and  must 
conform  to  that. 

It  is  not  God’s  plan  in  this  present  dispensation  to  save 
society,  but  to  save  individuals  and  to  call  out  from  the 
world  a  people  for  His  name. 

Just  how  the  individuals  that  compose  society  can  be 
saved,  without  saving  the  society,  the  learned  doctor 
does  not  attempt  to  explain.  In  the  booklet  so  heartily 
commended,  the  author,  Rev.  R.  E.  Neighbour,  a  Bap¬ 
tist  minister  of  Georgia,  says,  “  The  mission  of  the 
church  is  not  to  make  this  a  better  world  in  which  to 
house  sinners  but  to  call  sinners  to  a  better  world ;  not 
to  improve  social  conditions  here,  but  to  call  the  people 
out  of  present  corrupt  social  conditions.”  ( The  Folly 
of  Federation ,  page  32.)  The  social  conditions  are 
created  by  people.  If  there  are  no  people,  there  can 
be  no  social  conditions,  corrupt  or  otherwise.  “  Call 
the  people  out  of  present  corrupt  social  conditions,” 
and  those  conditions  would  be  changed.  These  social 
facts  are  overlooked  by  the  author.  The  one  thing  he 
is  trying  to  prove  is,  that  “  the  mission  of  the  church 
is  not  to  make  this  a  better  world.”  In  another  place 
he  says,  “  If  men  who  are  active  in  moral  reform  and 
social  propaganda  could  only  have  the  curtains  drawn 


go 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


back,  they  would  see  that  they  are  not,  as  they  often 
suppose,  supported  by  Jesus’s  name.  If  the  veil  were 
removed,  and  their  eyes  opened,  they  would  behold 
Satan,  with  principalities  and  powers,  with  world  rulers 
of  this  darkness,  with  hosts  of  wicked  spirits  in  the 
air,  energizing  men  to  produce  better  things.”  (Ibid., 
page  39.) 

This  is  a  marvellous  statement !  How  interesting  to 
be  informed  that  Satan  has  become  such  a  benefactor, 
and  saviour  of  the  world,  that  his  hosts  are  devoting 
their  efforts  to  “  energizing  men  to  produce  better 
things.”  This  is  certainly  a  new  role  for  Satan !  If 
this  is  true,  Satan  is  doing  the  world  far  greater  serv¬ 
ice  than  Christ.  He  has  the  moral  and  social  reforms 
to  his  credit.  Then  those  who  have  been  denouncing 
him  as  the  enemy  of  all  good  have  been  grossly  ma¬ 
ligning  him.  We  are  further  informed  by  this  author 
that, 

The  popular  reform  waves  of  the  hour  are,  therefore, 
satanic.  Note  one:  The  very  nation-wide  sweep  of  the 
prohibition  wave  marks  it  as  approved  of  Satan.  Its  mo¬ 
mentum  is  tremendous.  Great  political  parties  have  heard 
the  roar  of  its  mighty  sweep,  on  and  on,  even  to  the  very 
doors  of  Congress.  The  scope  of  its  sweep  is  its  ear-mark. 
God’s  church  was  ever  to  remain  a  suffering  minority. 

And  yet  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  God’s  chil¬ 
dren  are  enlisted.  They  are  enthusiastic, —  they  are  pour¬ 
ing  out  their  wealth,  and  lending  their  strength  in  the 
mighty  conflict,  for  state,  national,  and  world- wide  pro¬ 
hibition. 

They  have  entered  the  battle  in  the  name  of  Christ  and 
His  church.  They  see  a  better  day.  They  believe  that 
by  the  ballot  they  will  soon  drive  vice  and  the  saloon  from 
the  land. 

What  if  the  curtain  were  lifted  and  they  should  see 
behind  the  scenes  their  leader  —  Satan  ?  (Ibid.,  page  41.) 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


91 


A  commendatory  foreword,  from  Charles  Butler, 
Evangelist,  says,  “  The  author  follows  the  premillen- 
nial  teaching  to  its  logical  conclusion.”  Its  teaching 
is  certainly  quite  astounding.  “  The  thousands,  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  God’s  children  ”  who  have  enlisted 
in  the  great  temperance  and  moral  reform  movements 
thought  they  were  laboring  to  carry  out  the  divine  plan, 
and  that  Satan  was  the  arch  opponent  of  this  good 
work.  These  premillennial  writers  rise  to  say  it  is  all 
a  mistake,  Satan  is  not  opposing,  but  leading  the  re¬ 
forms.  The  forces  of  evil  in  the  world,  the  liquor  men, 
gamblers,  white  slavers,  and  the  great  army  of  the 
workers  of  iniquity  that  stand  in  active  opposition  to 
all  good,  are  not  the  followers  of  Satan.  He  is  the 
supreme  reformer,  the  father  of  the  mighty  sweeping 
reforms  that  are  roaring  in  the  ears  of  political  par¬ 
ties,  and  knocking  at  the  doors  of  the  governing  powers 
of  the  world.  We  might  ask,  who,  then,  is  leading  the 
armies  of  iniquity?  It  cannot  be  Satan.  He  cannot 
lead  both  parties.  Jesus  said,  “  If  Satan  cast  out 
Satan,  he  is  divided  against  himself :  how  shall  then  his 
kingdom  stand?  ”  (Matt.  12:  26.) 

This,  then,  is  “  premillennial  teaching  carried  to  its 
logical  conclusion.”  “  The  mission  of  the  church  is 
not  to  make  this  a  better  world.”  .  .  .  “  Not  to  im¬ 
prove  social  conditions  here.”  It  matters  not  how  good 
a  movement  may  be,  if  it  improves  the  world,  and  helps 
society  to  better  conditions,  it  is  of  Satan.  The  church 
cannot  become  a  strong  power  for  good  in  the  world. 
That  would  be  contrary  to  the  plan  of  God.  If  it  gets 
beyond  “  the  suffering  minority,”  it  bears  “  the  ear¬ 
marks  of  Satan.”  Therefore,  Satan  is  the  leader  of 
“  the  many  popular  reform  waves  of  the  hour,”  and 
the  consequent  improvement  in  society. 


92 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


In  this  teaching,  we  get  the  reason  for  the  vehement 
millennialist  protests  against  any  and  every  suggestion 
that  the  world  is,  in  any  respect,  growing  better.  To 
admit  that  the  world  is  growing  more  Christian  would 
be  fatal  to  their  system.  They  must  maintain  that  the 
gospel  was  never  intended  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  Rev.  Len  G.  Broughton,  D.D.,  the  famous 
preacher,  in  his  book,  Jesus  is  Commg ,  discussing 
the  place  of  the  gospel  in  the  divine  plan  of  world  sal¬ 
vation,  says,  44  It  must  also  be  understood  that  the  gos¬ 
pel  of  this  dispensation  is  not  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  If  this  were  true  we  would  have  to  stamp  fail¬ 
ure  upon  the  face  of  the  Old  Book.  It  has  not,  nor 
never  will  save  the  world  till  Jesus  comes.”  ( Jesus  is 
Coming,  page  49.) 

Thus  the  millennialists  discredit  the  gospel  and  brand 
it  as  inadequate  to  meet  the  moral  and  spiritual  needs 
of  society  and  the  world.  When  so  decrying  the  gospel 
are  they  giving  glory  to  God,  and  our  Lord  and  Sa¬ 
viour  Jesus  Christ?  If  the  gospel  is  not  intended  for 
the  conversion  of  the  world,  what  message  of  hope  has 
the  church  for  the  lost  ?  Jesus  said,  44  The  son  of  man 
is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost.” 
(Luke  19:  10.)  44  For  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  right¬ 

eous  but  sinners  to  repentance.”  (Matt.  9: 13.)  Cer¬ 
tainly  any  theory  of  the  divine  plan  of  redemption  that 
detracts  from  the  power  of  the  gospel  to  save  men  and 
women,  militates  against  the  work  and  influence  of  the 
church,  in  carrying  out  the  divine  commission,  44  Go 
ye,  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations.” 
(Matt.  28:19,) 

In  the  New  Testament  Jesus  is  heralded  as  the 
world’s  Saviour,  with  a  constant  insistence  upon  world 
conquest  as  the  objective  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


93 


ordinary  readers  of  the  Bible  readily  conclude  that  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  was  intended  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world;  and  the  purification  of  social,  commercial,  po¬ 
litical,  and  national  life.  But  the  millennial  inter¬ 
preters  say  that  these  are  the  unlearned  and  unstable 
who  wrest  the  scriptures  to  their  own  destruction  (2 
Pet.  3: 16),  not  having  learned  to  “  rightly  divide  the 
word  of  truth.”  (2  Tim.  2:15.)  In  their  division  of 
the  word  of  truth,  they  draw  a  definite  line  of  cleavage 
between  the  prophecies  of  conquest  and  glory,  and  those 
of  suffering  and  defeat.  All  the  passages  and  expres¬ 
sions  that  intimate  suffering  and  defeat  are  assigned  to 
the  gospel  dispensation,  while  all  the  predictions  of 
conquest  and  glory  are  assigned  to  the  millennial  reign. 
Rev.  C.  I.  Scofield,  founder  of  the  Scofield  Bible  Cor¬ 
respondence  School,  who  claims  to  be  a  conservative 
millennialist,  in  his  Bible  study  course  defines  this  line 
of  cleavage  after  this  fashion: 

Whoever  carefully  considers  Old  Testament  Prophecies 
must  be  struck  by  two  contrasting  and  seemingly  contra¬ 
dictory  lines  of  predictions  concerning  the  coming  Messiah. 
One  body  of  prediction  speaks  of  Him  coming  in  weakness 
and  humiliation,  “  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief,”  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground,  having  no  form  nor 
comeliness  nor  beauty  that  He  should  be  desired.  His 
visage  is  to  be  marred,  His  hands  and  feet  pierced.  He  is 
to  be  forsaken  of  man  and  of  God  and  to  make  His  grave 
with  the  wicked. 

The  other  line  of  prophecy  foretells  a  splendid  and  re¬ 
sistless  sovereign,  purging  the  earth  with  awful  judgments, 
regathering  dispersed  Israel,  restoring  the  throne  of  David 
in  more  than  Solomon’s  splendor,  and  introducing  a  reign 
of  profound  peace  and  perfect  righteousness. 

In  due  time  the  fulfilment  of  Messianic  prophecy  began 
with  the  birth  of  the  Virgin’s  son  according  to  Micah,  and 
proceeded  with  perfect  literalness  unto  the  full  accomplish- 


94 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


ment  of  every  prediction  of  Messiah’s  humiliation.  But 
the  Jews  would  not  receive  their  King,  “  meek  and  sitting 
upon  an  ass,  and  a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass,”  but  crucified 
Him. 

What  now  becomes  of  the  prophetic  utterances  which 
positively  foretold  the  earthly  power  of  David’s  Son?  It 
must  be  remembered  that  in  volume  these  exceed  the  pre¬ 
dictions  of  the  Messiah’s  sufferings,  eight  to  one.  Indeed 
the  earthly  glory  of  Messiah  is  the  great  theme  of  Old 
Testament  prochecy. 

The  answer  is  found  in  the  testimony  of  Christ,  and  of 
every  one  of  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  to  a  Second 
Advent  of  Messiah,  when  the  predictions  concerning  His 
earthly  glory  will  receive  the  same  precise  literal  fulfill¬ 
ment  as  did  those  which  concerned  His  earthly  sufferings. 

The  great  theme  of  all  the  Old  Testament  as  we  know 
from  Christ  Himself  is  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  the 
glories  which  should  follow.  (1  Pet.  1:11;  Luke  24:  25, 
26.)  The  sufferings  are  accomplished ;  the  glories  which 
include  the  restoration  of  Israel,  and  the  thousand  years’ 
reign  of  Christ,  will  as  surely  follow. 

The  student,  then,  will  find  that  all  prophetic  scriptures 
divide  along  this  line  of  cleavage,  and  belong  either  to  the 
first  or  second  advent  of  Messiah.  (Scofield’s  Corre¬ 
spondence  Course  of  Study,  Vol.  I,  Lesson  VI,  page  25.) 

The  ostensible  line  of  cleavage  worked  out  in  this 
lesson  is  interesting.  But  is  the  cleavage  real  ?  Or 
has  it  been  forced  upon  the  prophecies,  for  the  purpose 
of  gaining  support  for  the  millennial  theory  ?  Before 
entering  upon  the  particular  examination  of  the 
prophets,  it  may  be  well  to  review  some  of  the  state¬ 
ments  of  this  lesson.  Emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  dis¬ 
covery  that  the  scriptures  predicting  the  glories  of  the 
Messiah  66  exceed  the  predictions  of  His  suffering  eight 
to  one.”  It  seems  very  strange  that  of  these  Messianic 
predictions,  which  began  to  be  fulfilled  two  thousand 
years  ago,  those  relating  to  the  sufferings  of  Christ 
are  the  only  ones  that  have  been  fulfilled,  and  they  were 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


95 


fulfilled  in  the  brief  period  of  thirty-three  years,—  dur¬ 
ing  the  physical  life  of  Jesus  and  that  all  the  pre 
dictions  of  the  glories  which  should  follow  eight- 
ninths  of  the  whole, —  are  yet  unfulfilled?  And  they 
cannot  be  fulfilled  until  at  some  time  in  the  future, 
a  time  unknown  and  indefinite  —  Jesus  comes  a  second 
time  to  set  up  a  new  dispensation?  That  is  for  a  pe¬ 
riod  of  thirty-three  years  there  was  a  wonderful  ful¬ 
filment  of  one-ninth  of  the  predictions  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment,  but  during  thousands  of  years  that  follow,  theie 
is  no  fulfilment  of  prophecy  ?  Has  the  Almighty  gone 
on  a  journey,  or  is  He  merely  sleeping,  and  needs  to  be 
awakened?  This  seems  the  more  striking  and  stiange 
when  we  remember  that  the  predictions  of  the  suffer¬ 
ings  of  Christ,  and  the  glories  which  follow,”  are  so 
interwoven  that  the  ordinary  reader  does  not  discern 
any  such  line  of  cleavage  as  is  drawn  by  the  sage 
Dr.  C.  I.  Scofield.  All  recognize  the  fact  that  the 
humiliation  and  sufferings  of  Christ  began  in  Bethle¬ 
hem’s  manger,  and  ended  with  Calvary’s  cross.  But 
was  there  no  glory  connected  with  the  life  and  death 
of  Jesus  ?  Was  there  no  glory  in  His  victory  over  the 
grave,  His  exaltation  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  the 
consequent  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  Pentecostal 
power?  Was  not  the  resurrection  glory  of  Jesus  and 
the  conversion  of  the  multitudes  at  Pentecost  and  aftei, 
some  of  the  glories  that  should  follow  the  sufferings  of 
Christ?  The  night  of  the  betrayal  and  arrest,  Jesus 
in  the  upper  room,  with  His  disciples  began  His  dedi¬ 
catory  prayer  with  this  significant  petition,  “  Father, 
the  hour  is  come;  glorify  thy  son,  that  thy  son  also 
may  glorify  thee.”  As  He  proceeded  in  His  prayer, 
He  said,  “  And  now,  0  Father,  glorify  thou  me  with 
thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee 


96 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


before  the  world  was.”  (John  17 : 1,  5.)  If  this  glory 
was  not  to  begin  until  the  second  coming  of  Jesus, 
which  was  more  than  two  thousand  years  in  the  future, 
and  might  be  many  thousand,  how  could  Jesus  say, 
66  The  hour  is  come  ”  ?  This  does  not  refer  to  some 
time  in  the  indefinite  future,  but  to  a  time  already  com¬ 
pleted  —  eleluthen  e  hora.  The  hour  has  come.” 
This  refers  exclusively  to  the  glories  of  Christ  which 
were  to  follow  His  sufferings.  Jesus,  certainly,  ex¬ 
pected  His  glories  to  begin  right  then.  The  whole 
prayer  deals  with  a  glory  being  then  revealed,  and  to 
be  still  further  revealed  through  the  disciples  then 
closeted  with  Him,  and  also  those  who  in  the  future 
would  believe  on  Him.  He  said,  66  And  the  glory  which 
thou  gavest  me,  I  have  given  them.”  (John  17:22.) 
That  could  not  possibly  refer  to  the  glory  of  another 
dispensation  which  was  thousands  of  years  in  the  future. 

The  first  impression  of  a  thoughtful  student  of  Dr. 
Scofield’s  course  of  study  is  that  his  division  of  the 
Messianic  prophecies  is  unnatural,  arbitrary,  forced, 
and  unwarranted.  Attention  is  immediately  directed  to 
a  detailed  examination  of  the  particular  prophecies 
quoted  to  buttress  the  millennial  structure.  There  are 
first  the  passages  that  predict  the  universal  diffusion  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  God.  For  instance: 

They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain : 
for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.  (Isa.  11:9;  Hab.  2:  14.) 

And  all  thy  children  shall  be  taught  of  the  Lord;  and 
great  shall  be  the  peace  of  thy  children.  (Isa.  54:  13.) 

This  shall  be  the  covenant  I  will  make  with  the  house  of 
Israel;  after  those  days  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  my  law 
in  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts;  and  will 
be  their  God  and  they  shall  be  my  people.  And  they  shall 
teach  no  more  every  man  his  neighbour,  and  every  man  his 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


97 


brother,  saying,  Know  the  Lord;  for  they  shall  all  know 
me,  from  the  least  of  them  to  the  greatest  of  them,  saith 
the  Lord:  for  I  will  forgive  their  iniquity  and  remember 
their  sin  no  more.  (Jer.  31:  32,  34.) 

And  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them,  that 
I  will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them  good;  but  I 
will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart 
from  me.  Yea,  I  will  rejoice  over  them  to  do  them  good, 
and  I  will  plant  them  in  this  land  assuredly,  with  my  whole 
heart  and  my  whole  soul.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord:  Like 
as  I  have  brought  all  this  great  evil  upon  this  people,  so 
will  I  bring  upon  them  all  the  good  I  have  promised. 
(Jer.  32:40-42.) 

These  are  a  few  of  the  many  passages  that  might  be 
cited  as  predicting  the  golden  age  of  the  people  of  God. 
The  millennialists  not  only  insist  that  these  prophecies 
have  not  been  fulfilled,  but  that  they  cannot  be  ful¬ 
filled,  until  Christ  comes  a  second  time  to  set  up  a  mil¬ 
lennial  kingdom.  That  they  have  not  been  completely 
fulfilled,  may  be  readily  admitted;  but  when  it  is  urged 
that  they  cannot  be  fulfilled  until  there  is  an  entire 
change  of  dispensation,  and  a  bodily  reign  of  Christ 
on  earth,  we  have  an  entirely  different  proposition.  It 
seems  exceedingly  presumptuous  for  any  person  or  peo¬ 
ple  to  say  that  God  cannot  use  the  agencies  and  forces 
now  at  His  hand  under  the  present  gospel  dispensation 
to  fulfil  completely  all  these  predictions. 

These,  like  all  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament, 
were  spoken  to  the  people  of  Israel,  and  contained  a 
specific  message  for  the  times;  rebuking  popular  sins, 
urging  repentance  and  reformation,  and  promising  de¬ 
liverance  from  their  enemies  and  restoration  to  the  di¬ 
vine  favor.  They  also  predicted  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  and  the  gathering  of  the  nations  into  the  Mes¬ 
sianic  kingdom  of  grace  and  glory. 

The  New  Testament  writers  accepted  these  prophe- 


98  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

cies  as  applying  particularly  to  the  gospel  period,  and 
so  appropriated  them  and  claimed  their  fulfilment  in 
the  pentecostal  revival,  and  the  great  missionary  tri¬ 
umphs  that  followed.  Jesus  claimed  to  be,  Himself,  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecies.  He  said,  “  Think  not  that 
I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law,  or  the  prophets ;  I  am 
not  come  to  destroy  but  to  fulfil.”  (Matt.  5:17.) 
When  the  book  was  delivered  to  Him  in  the  synagogue 
at  Nazareth,  where  He  was  brought  up,  Jesus  read  from 
the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  : 

The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor;  he  hath  sent 
me  to  heal  the  brokenhearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  and  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  lib¬ 
erty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord.  (Luke  4:  18,  21.  Comp.  Isa.  61 :  1,  2.) 

He  closed  the  book  and  sat  down,  and  when  all  eyes 
were  fastened  on  Him,  He  said,  “  This  day  is  this  scrip¬ 
ture  fulfilled  in  your  ears.”  (Luke  4  :21.) 

This  certainly  outlined  some  of  the  glories  following 
the  sufferings  of  Christ.  The  glory  of  Christ  is  the 
deliverance  of  men  and  women  from  the  grip  of  suffer¬ 
ing  and  the  bondage  of  sin. 

The  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  in  a  most 
masterful  and  convincing  manner  shows  how  Moses  and 
the  prophets  were  being  fulfilled  by  Christ  and  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  He  quoted  with  particular 
emphasis  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah  (Ch.  31:33,  34; 
Heb.  8:10—12)  to  prove  that  the  spread  of  the  gos¬ 
pel  and  the  expansion  of  the  Christian  church  fulfilled 
the  prophecies  from  which  the  Hebrews  had  hoped  so 
much.  In  developing  his  argument,  he  both  compares 
and  contrasts  the  Old  Covenant  and  the  New  and 
showed  that  there  had  been  no  change  in  the  principles 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


99 


of  the  Old.  The  only  change  is  in  the  ritual  observ¬ 
ance,  and  method  of  expression.  Under  the  Old  Cove¬ 
nant  God,  on  His  part,  promised  44 1  will  be  your  God,” 
and  the  people  on  their  part  promised,  44  We  will  be 
thy  people.”  This  same  mutual  agreement  takes  place 
under  the  New  Covenant. 

If  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  were  fulfilled  by  the 
gospel  in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  how  much  more  com¬ 
pletely  are  they  being  fulfilled  in  these  days  of  world¬ 
wide  missions!  The  promise  is,  44  And  they  shall  not 
teach  every  man  his  brother,  saying,  Know  the  Lord, 
for  all  shall  know  me  from  the  least  to  the  greatest.” 
Technically  this  may  not  yet  be  true,  but  in  a  general 
way  the  promise  has  been  fulfilled  in  the  public  preach¬ 
ing  of  the  gospel. 

Under  the  Old  Covenant,  properly  speaking,  there  was 
no  public  instruction;  before  the  erection  of  the  synagogues 
all  worship  was  confined  at  first  to  the  tabernacle,  after¬ 
wards  to  the  temple.  When  synagogues  were  established 
they  were  used  principally  for  the  bare  reading  of  the  law 
and  the  prophets:  and  scarcely  any  such  thing  as  a  public 
ministry  for  the  continued  instruction  of  the  common  people 
was  found  in  the  land  until  John  the  Baptist,  our  Lord, 
and  His  apostles.  It  is  true  that  there  were  prophets  who 
were  a  sort  of  general  teachers,  but  neither  was  their  min¬ 
istry  extended  through  all  the  people ;  and  there  were 
schools  of  the  Prophets ,  and  schools  of  the  Rabbis,  but 
these  were  for  the  instruction  of  select  persons.  Hence 
it  was  necessary  that  every  man  should  do  what  he  could, 
under  that  dispensation,  to  instruct  his  neighbour  and 
brother.  But  the  prophecy  here  indicates  that  there  should 
be  under  the  gospel  dispensation  a  profusion  of  Divine 
light;  and  this  we  find  to  be  the  case  by  the  plentiful  dif¬ 
fusion  of  the  sacred  writings  and  by  an  abundant  gospel 
ministry:  and  these  blessings  are  not  confined  to  temples 
or  palaces,  but  are  found  in  every  corner  of  the  land;  so 
that,  literally,  all  the  people  from  the  least  to  the  greatest 


100  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


know  and  acknowledge  the  only  true  God  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  He  hath  sent.  Almost  every  man,  at  least  in  this 
land,  has  a  Bible  and  can  read  it;  and  there  is  not  a  family 
that  has  not  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the  Gospel 
preached,  explained,  and  enforced.  (Dr.  A.  Clark’s  Com¬ 
mentary,  Heb.  8:10-12.) 

This  explanation  was  written  a  hundred  years  ago. 
The  advance  in  the  distribution  of  Bibles,  and  the  ex¬ 
tension  of  the  gospel  during  the  last  century  has  been 
marvellous,  and  is  growing  with  ever  widening  circles. 
Thus  all  the  demands  of  this  Messianic  prophecy  are 
being  met  under  the  gospel. 

The  prophecies  of  Isaiah  as  recorded  in  the  eleventh 
chapter  seem  to  bristle  with  difficulties  for  the  millen- 
nialists.  To  them  the  Utopian  conditions  described 
must  be  beyond  the  sphere  of  any  dispensation  the 
world  has  yet  seen,  and  can  only  be  fulfilled  under  the 
millennial  dispensation  that  they  anticipate  will  come 
when  “  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory.”  Their 
fundamental  difficulty  here,  as  elsewhere,  is  due  to  their 
rigid  insistence  upon  a  purely  literal  interpretation 
and  fulfilment.  This,  however,  is  absurd  inasmuch  as 
all  prophetic  language  is  highly  figurative  and  pic¬ 
torial.  Their  insistence  upon  placing  the  literal  and 
spiritual  as  opposite  and  incompatible  terms  is  quite 
fallacious.  To  them  the  literal  must  be  physical. 
All  outside  of  the  physical  must  be  ruled  out  of  the 
realm  of  literal  truth.  This  is  a  serious  violation  of 
language  and  of  facts.  The  spiritual  verities  are  just 
as  literally  true  as  the  physical.  God  is  a  spirit, 
heaven  is  a  spiritual  home,  and  all  that  pertains  to  God 
and  heaven,  in  the  unseen  are  spiritualities  which  are 
literally  true.  The  true  contrasts  are  not  literal  and 
spiritual,  but  literal  and  figurative,  physical  and  spir- 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


101 


itual.  Though  this  distinction  has  been  made  in  ai^ 
earlier  chapter,  it  is  worthy  of  emphasis  here,  as  pre¬ 
paratory  to  a  detailed  study  of  this  entrancing  chapter 
of  Isaiah. 

The  statement,  or  prophecy,  which  links  this  chapter 
with  the  foregoing  expositions  of  Jeremiah’s  predic¬ 
tions,  is  “  The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.”  (Isa.  11:9.) 
In  passing,  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  “  the  earth  ”  to 
the  Hebrew  mind  meant  the  land  of  Palestine,  “  the 
land  of  promise.”  But  the  gospel  blessings  have  been 
diffused  through  all  the  world.  In  the  da}^s  of  John 
the  Baptist  and  of  Jesus,  the  whole  land  was  filled  with 
the  fame  and  knowledge  of  the  Lord.  Never  before, 
in  all  the  history  of  Israel,  had  there  been  such  a  popu¬ 
lar  appeal  and  call  to  repentance  toward  God.  That 
this  was  the  period  and  reformation  that  the  prophet 
held  in  view  is  made  clear  by  the  following  verse : 

“And  in  that  day  there  shall  be  a  root  of  Jesse, 
which  shall  stand  for  an  ensign  of  the  people;  to  it 
shall  the  Gentiles  seek:  and  his  rest  shall  be  glorious.” 
(Isa.  11 : 10.)  Jesus  was  the  root  of  Jesse.  He  stood 
for  an  ensign  to  the  people,  and  the  Gentiles  sought 
Him.  The  Greeks  desired  to  see  Him,  saying,  “  Sirs, 
we  would  see  Jesus.”  (John  1 2:  20,  21.)  During  the 
apostolic  era,  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  spread  through 
Asia,  Greece,  Rome,  Egypt,  Spain,  and  some  claim,  as 
far  as  Britain  and  China. 

The  following  verse  is  presented  as  indubitable  proof 
that  all  this  prophecy  belongs  to  the  millennial  reign 
to  be  inaugurated  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ, 
rather  than  the  first  advent,  because  the  Prophet  says, 
it  shall  be  a  second  time.  The  whole  passage  reads, 
“  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the  Lord 


10&  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

shall  set  his  hand  again  the  second  time  to  recover  the 
remnant  of  His  people,  which  shall  be  left  from  Assyria, 
and  from  Egypt,  and  from  Pathros,  and  from  Cush, 
and  from  Elam,  and  from  Shinar,  and  from  Hamath, 
and  from:  the  isles  of  the  sea.”  (Isa.  11 :  11.) 

Is  the  prophet  here  describing  a  dispensation  subse¬ 
quent  to  and  distinct  from  the  reign  of  the  Messiah, 
the  root  of  Jesse,  under  the  gospel  of  grace?  We  think 
not.  There  loomed  in  the  future  the  captivity  of 
Israel  and  Judah  under  the  Assyrians  and  Babylonians. 
Isaiah  held  in  the  foreground  of  his  vision,  the  restora¬ 
tion  from  that  captivity  which  was  accomplished  under 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  The  more  distant  prospect  was 
the  religious  restoration  of  the  people  under  the  Mes¬ 
siah  and  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  first  was 
largely  a  political  restoration  to  the  land  of  promise, 
the  second  a  restoration  to  righteousness,  under  the 
call  to  repent  and  enter  the  kingdom  of  God.  Of 
course  this  distinction  is  not  arbitrary  because  the  po¬ 
litical  restoration  involved  a  religious  revival  and  a 
restoration  of  the  temple,  and  sanctuary  worship,  while 
in  the  second  great  religious  awakening,  principles  of 
equality  and  brotherly  love  were  laid  down  which  have 
revolutionized  the  political  organizations  of  nations. 
The  distinction  is  that  in  the  first  the  political  held 
the  place  of  prominence,  while  in  the  second  the  reli¬ 
gious  occupies  the  centre  of  the  field. 

The  objection  urged  against  this  interpretation  is 
that  in  neither  instance  were  all  the  people  of  Israel 
restored.  But  the  prophet  does  not  predict  the  res¬ 
toration  of  all  Israel,  but  only  a  remnant.  “  He  shall 
set  His  hand  again  a  second  time  to  recover  the  rem¬ 
nant  of  his  people.”  The  remnant  was  recovered  in 
the  restoration  from  Babylon,  and  also  in  the  res  tor  a- 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


103 


tion  of  grace  under  the  Messiah.  Paul  emphasizes  this 
provision  of  the  prophecy  when  he  says,  44  Even  so  then 
at  this  time  there  is  a  remnant  according  to  the  election 
of  grace.”  (Rom.  11:5.)  Under  the  gospel  preach¬ 
ing,  the  remnant  of  the  dispersed  were  recovered  from 
all  the  surrounding  countries.  On  the  day  of  Pente¬ 
cost,  the  first  gospel  sermon  was  preached  to  44  Parthians 
and  Medes,  and  Elamites  and  the  dwellers  of  Mesopo¬ 
tamia  and  in  Judea  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus  and 
Asia,  Phrygia,  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the 
parts  of  Lybia,  about  Cyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome, 
Jews  and  Proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians.”  (Acts 
2:  9-11.)  These  all  heard  the  wonderful  works  of  God 
in  their  own  tongue.  What  more  literal  fulfilment  of 
the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  could  be  required?  The  sum¬ 
mary  of  the  places  in  Acts  completely  covers  the  sum¬ 
mary  of  the  prophet. 

There  is  also  predicted  peace  and  brotherly  fellow¬ 
ship,  between  Ephraim  and  Judah.  44  The  envy  of 
Ephraim  shall  depart,  and  the  adversaries  of  Judah 
shall  be  cut  off:  Ephraim  shall  not  envy  Judah,  and 
Judah  shall  not  vex  Ephraim.”  (Isa.  11:13.) 

This  also  is  projected  into  the  millennial  period.  It 
is  claimed  that  the  only  way  God  can  fulfil  this  predic¬ 
tion  is  to  gather  the  dispersed  of  Israel  and  Judah  from 
the  four  corners  of  the  earth  and  reestablish  them  in 
peace  in  Palestine  as  they  were  under  the  reign  of 
David.  But  to  achieve  such  a  political  fulfilment,  the 
Jews  will  have  to  be  not  only  re-assembled  in  Palestine, 
but  re-organized  into  tribes.  An  intimation  that  this 
is  impossible  will  elicit  the  retort,  44  With  God  all  things 
are  possible.”  Wliile  we  may  with  safety  admit  that 
44  with  God  all  things  are  possible,”  we  can  claim  with 
equal  safety,  that  with  God  some  things  are  very  un- 


104*  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Ml 


likely,  and  this  is  one  of  those  things.  It  does  not 
appeal  to  a  rational  mind  as  at  all  feasible.  The  dis¬ 
persion  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  has  been  so  complete, 
and  the  tribal  distinctions  have  been  obliterated  for  so 
many  centuries,  that  it  is  asking  a  great  deal  of  thought¬ 
ful  people  to  believe  that  God  will  re-assemble  the  Jews 
from  all  quarters  of  the  earth,  and  re-organize  them  on 
Mount  Zion  into  the  twelve  original  tribes,  in  order  to 
fulfil  these  predictions  of  Isaiah.  The  wheels  of  time 
never  turn  backward.  When  once  a  people  or  a  na¬ 
tion  passes  through  a  crisis  of  history,  the  former 
status  can  never  be  restored.  There  must  be  a  mov¬ 
ing  forward. 

Is  there  not  a  more  rational  interpretation  to  this 
prediction,  that  conserves  all  the  elements  of  truth  and 
maintains  the  credibility  of  the  prophet?  Ephraim  and 
Judah  are  representative  of  all  of  God’s  people.  The 
point  of  the  prophecy  is  that  a  time  will  come  when 
the  people  of  God,  instead  of  envying  and  vexing  one 
another,  will  live  together  in  harmony  and  true  broth¬ 
erly  fellowship.  Look  at  the  first  gospel  scene :  The 
disciples  of  Jesus,  Jews  from  Galilee  and  Judea  — 
Ephraim  and  J udah — “  were  with  one  accord  in  one 
place.”  (Acts  8:1.)  For  ten  days  these  had  “all 
continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication  ” 
(Acts  1 : 14),  until  the  Holy  Ghost  had  come  upon  them, 
in  fulfilment  of  the  promise  of  the  Father.  Under  the 
heavenly  baptism,  three  thousand  were  converted  and 
baptized.  “  And  they  continued  steadfastly  in  the 
apostles’  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of 
bread  and  prayers.  .  .  .  And  all  that  believed  were 
together  and  had  all  things  common ;  and  sold  their 
possessions  and  goods,  and  parted  them  to  all  men,  as 
every  man  had  need.  And  they,  continuing  daily  with 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


105 


one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  of  bread  from 
house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and 
singleness  of  heart,  praising  God  and  having  favor  with 
all  the  people.”  (Acts  2:42—47.)  After  the  Pente¬ 
costal  Church  had  been  increased  by  several  thousands, 
“  The  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart 
and  one  soul:  neither  said  any  of  them  that  aught  of 
the  things  which  he  possessed  was  his  own;  but  they 
had  all  things  common.”  (Acts  4:32.)  Is  not  this  a 
complete  literal  fulfilment  of  Isaiah’s  prophecy?  This 
is  the  relationship  that  all  the  true  people  of  God  bear 
to  one  another  under  the  gospel  of  grace.  Jesus 
placed  special  emphasis  upon  the  importance  of  this 
brotherly  spirit  as  an  irrefutable  proof  of  the  divinity 
of  the  Christian  religion.  He  said,  “  A  new  command¬ 
ment  I  give  unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another;  as  I 
have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have 
love  one  to  another.”  (John  13:  34,  35.)  This  unity 
of  love  and  fraternal  fellowship  was  the  point  of  that 
profound  dedicatory  prayer  of  Jesus  in  the  upper  room. 
He  prayed  “  That  they  all  may  be  one ;  as  thou,  Father, 
art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in 
us :  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me. 
And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me,  I  have  given  them ; 
that  they  may  be  one  even  as  we  are  one:  I  in  them, 
and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one ; 
and  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou  hast  sent  me, 
and  hast  loved  them,  as  thou  hast  loved  me.”  (John 
17:21-23.) 

This  is  the  burden  of  gospel  teaching  on  the  social 
relations  of  man  with  man.  If  any  Christian  people 
are  not  united  in  this  fraternal  affection,  and  are  not 
“  endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the 


106  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


bonds  of  peace,”  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  gospel,  or 
because  of  any  failure  in  the  divine  system  of  salvation. 
The  urgency  of  the  gospel  is  that  66  Ephraim  shall  not 
envy  Judah,  and  Judah  shall  not  vex  Ephraim.” 

The  first  part  of  this  remarkable  chapter  demands 
attention.  The  revolutionary  effect  of  the  preaching 
of  righteousness,  under  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  is  most 
marvellous  in  the  extreme.  The  effect  upon  the  na¬ 
tures  of  the  beast  and  the  reptile  is  so  wonderful,  and 
apparently  unnatural,  that  the  millennialists  are  sure 
such  a  transformation  cannot  be  effected  under  the  gos¬ 
pel  dispensations,  and  therefore  must  rank  among  the 
wonders  of  the  coming  millennial  age.  But  are  we  com¬ 
pelled  to  accept  the  language  of  Isaiah  as  purely  literal, 
and  demanding  a  so-called  absolutely  literal  fulfilment  ? 
Is  it  not  probable  that  the  prophet  is  following  the 
common  prophetic  practice,  and  using  the  names  of 
beasts  and  reptiles  figuratively,  as  descriptive  of  the 
untamed  and  uncontrolled  passions  of  men  in  an  un¬ 
regenerate  condition?  And  thereby  a  pictorial  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  regeneration  of  de- 
.  praved  people  through  faith  in  the  “  rod  of  the  stem 
of  Jesse  ”  (Isa.  11 :  1),  the  Branch  that  grew  out  of  his 
roots? 

The  passage  reads,  “  The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with 
the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid; 
and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  to¬ 
gether  ;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.  And  the 
cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed ;  their  young  ones  shall  lie 
down  together ;  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  an  ox.” 
(Isa,  11:6,  7.) 

Could  the  prophet  really  mean  that  a  time  would 
come  when  the  religious  influence  in  the  world  would  be 
so  powerful,  that  the  ravenous  beasts  of  the  wilds  would 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


107 


undergo  such  a  radical  change  of  nature,  that  the  lion, 
the  bear,  the  leopard,  and  the  wolf  would  become  harm¬ 
less,  and  dwell  in  peace  with  the  lamb  and  the  kid, 
under  the  leadership  of  a  little  child? 

Human  language  abounds  with  striking  metaphors 
whereby  men  are  likened  unto  animals.  In  the  Greek 
and  Latin  classics  there  are  many  examples  quite  simi¬ 
lar  to  this  from  Isaiah.  These  are  simply  poetic  fig¬ 
ures  representing  the  great  change  that  will  come  over 
men  in  the  golden  age.  Dr.  Adam  Clark,  in  calling 
attention  to  these  examples*  says,  u  How  much  they  fall 
short  of  that  beauty  and  elegance,  and  variety  of 
imagery,  with  which  Isaiah  has  set  forth  the  very  same 
ideas.”  (Clark’s  Commentary ,  Isaiah  11 :  6-7.) 

How  forcefully  Byron  describes  Sennacherib’s  army 
in  its  attack  on  Hezekiah! 

The  Assyrian  came  down  like  a  wolf  on  the  fold. 

And  his  cohorts  were  gleaming  in  purple  and  gold. 

The  change  from  simile  to  metaphor  is  easy  and 
impressive,  6i  The  Assyrian  wolf  came  down  on  the 
fold.” 

The  Arabian  and  Persian  poets  elegantly  apply  the 
same  ideas  to  show  the  effects  of  justice  impartially 
administered,  and  firmly  supported  by  a  great  and  good 
king :  — 

Mahmoud  the  powerful  king,  the  ruler  of  the  world, 

To  whose  tank  the  wolf  and  the  lamb  come  together  to 
drink. 

Jesus  and  the  apostles  make  frequent  use  of  these 
figures.  Jesus  said,  “  Beware  of  false  prophets  which 
come  to  you  in  sheep’s  clothing  but  inwardly  they  are 
ravening  wolves.”  (Matt.  7 : 15.)  When  commission- 


108 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


ing  His  disciples  and  sending  them  forth  on  their  first 
missionary  tour,  He  said,  “  Behold  I  send  you  forth  as 
sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves ;  be  ye  therefore  as  wise  as 
serpents  and  as  harmless  as  doves.”  (Matt.  10:16.) 

Paul  in  his  famous  farewell  to  the  elders  of  the 
Ephesian  church  said,  “  For  I  know  that  after  my 
departing  shall  grievous  wolves  enter  in  among  you, 
not  sparing  the  flock.”  (Acts  20:29.)  Both  Peter 
and  Jude  called  the  ungodly,  “natural  brute  beasts.” 
(2  Pet.  2:12  and  Jude  10.)  These  examples  might 
be  multiplied  indefinitely.  In  view  of  these  facts,  who 
can  doubt  that  the  fascinating  picturesqueness  of 
Isaiah’s  imagery  is  intended  to  describe  the  radical 
change  that  was  to  take  place  in  the  nature  and  dispo¬ 
sition  of  men  under  the  saving  power  and  righteous 
reign  of  Jesus,  and  the  triumphs  of  the  ever  blessed 
gospel. 

It  is  strange  that  the  millennialists  cannot  see  in  the 
progress  of  the  gospel  any  fulfilment  to  these  Messianic 
predictions.  Is  it  not  exceedingly  pathetic  for  a  peo¬ 
ple  to  be  so  blinded  by  some  special  theory  that  they 
cannot  see  the  beauty  and  glory  of  the  larger  world 
about  them,  and  feel  that  they  must  deny  the  good  that 
abounds  on  every  side?  This  composed  the  pathos  of 
the  religious  mentality  of  the  Jews  and  led  them  to 
crucify  their  Messiah.  The  same  peculiar  mentality 
displays  itself  in  those  teachings  of  millennialism  that 
deny  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  the  glories  of  the  world’s 
redemption,  and  the  regeneration  of  society. 

Have  not  the  wolf  and  the  lamb  dwelt  together? 
Have  not  the  leopard  and  the  kid  lain  down  together? 
Has  not  the  lion  been  so  domesticated  that  he  has  en¬ 
tirely  changed  his  system  of  diet  and  manner  of  living? 
Is  it  necessary  to  relate  to  intelligent  Christians  the 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


109 


marvellous  transformations  of  character  and  life,  the 
radical  changes  of  nature,  affected  by  the  grace  and 
spirit  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus?  Contrast  the  ferocious, 
persecuting  spirit  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  with  the  gentle, 
tender,  and  kindly  spirit  of  Paul  the  Apostle.  We 
might  fill  pages  relating  individual  instances  of  these 
great  moral  transformations.  We  have  only  to  revert 
to  our  own  pagan  ancestry  in  the  British  Isles  and 
northern  Europe,  and  contrast  their  wild,  pagan  con¬ 
dition  with  the  humane,  gentle,  and  philanthropic  spirit 
that  dominates  our  English  Christian  civilization  as  a 
whole,  to  get  a  demonstration  of  the  power  of  the  gospel 
to  transform  wild  natures.  When  we  contrast  that 
coarse  pagan  barbarism  with  the  refined  spirit  of  Chris¬ 
tian  brotherhood,  now  displayed  by  our  highest  types 
of  Christian  men  and  women,  we  are  convinced  that  no 
other  language  could  more  succinctly  and  fittingly  de¬ 
scribe  it  than  the  chaste,  elegant,  varied,  and  expressive 
imagery  of  Isaiah.  But  we  turn  to  the  modern  triumphs 
of  the  missionary  and  evangelizing  glories  of  the  gos¬ 
pel.  When  Hunt  and  Calvert  landed  on  the  Fiji  Is¬ 
lands,  the  first  sight  that  greeted  them  was  a  cannibal 
feast.  The  wolves  of  those  cannibal  isles  were  delib¬ 
erately  preparing  to  eat  their  own  flesh,  and  were  mak¬ 
ing  it  a  festive  scene  of  rejoicing.  Within  fifty  years, 
not  only  was  cannibalism  abolished,  but  practically  the 
whole  population  were  regular  attendants  at  Christian 
worship,  nearly  every  home  had  family  prayers,  and 
the  people  were  living  together  in  brotherly  love  and 
concord.  The  same  story  can  be  told  of  the  New  Heb¬ 
rides,  and  many  other  places  where  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
has  triumphed  gloriously.  Here  is  a  very  impressive 
example  of  a  changed  nature.  The  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord’s  Supper  was  being  administered  in  a  native 


110  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


church  on  a  South  Sea  island.  One  of  the  communi¬ 
cants,  a  tribal  chief,  was  noticed  to  be  deeply  moved  by 
intense  passion  and  excitement;  and  he  suddenly  arose 
from  his  knees  and  walked  quickly  out  of  the  church. 
In  a  little  while  he  returned  perfectly  calm,  and  de¬ 
voutly  took  his  place,  and  received  the  communion. 
After  the  service  the  missionary  asked  him  the  cause 
of  his  sudden  and  extreme  agitation.  He  re  plied, 
46  You  saw  the  man  who  came  forward  and  knelt  beside 
me.  He  also  is  a  chief,  and  his  tribe  has  been  an  enemy 
of  mine.  I  saw  him  despoil  my  people  and  eat  mv 
father  and  mother;  and  I  vowed  that  some  day  I  would 
take  vengeance  on  him.  This  is  the  first  time  since 
then  that  I  have  seen  him.  When  he  knelt  beside  me 
all  my  old  savage  blood  stirred  within  me  and  cried  for 
that  vengeance.  I  did  not  dare  remain  beside  him  any 
longer  for  fear  I  would  lose  control  of  myself.  I  went 
out  and  prayed  to  my  Saviour  for  forgiveness,  and 
sought  grace  to  forgive  him,  even  as  my  Lord  had 
taught  me,  and  the  Lord  gave  me  the  victory.” 

Is  not  that  a  literal  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy?  The 
wild  beast  is  tamed,  and  all  the  ferocious  nature  is 
brought  into  subjection  to  the  spirit  of  righteousness, 
described  in  the  first  verses  of  the  chapter. 

There  is  another  chapter  of  Isaiah  of  entrancing 
beauty,  promise  and  strength  of  expression  that  the 
millennialists  assign  to  the  millennial  age.  It  begins, 
44  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad 
for  them:  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  like 
the  rose.  It  shall  blossom  abundantly  and  rejoice  even 
with  joy  and  singing:  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be 
given  unto  it,  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon, 
they  shall  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and  the  excellency 
of  our  God.”  (Isa.  3:5.) 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


111 


Has  the  world  to  wait  until  a  new  dispensation  is 
ushered  in  to  see  the  fulfilment  of  this  prediction?  If 
a  literal  physical  fulfilment  be  insisted  on,  can  we  not 
see  it  in  the  development  of  the  world’s  industries  under 
the  magic  touch  of  Christian  civilization?  Look  afield 
today !  See  throughout  all  Christian  lands,  harvest 
fields  laden  with  the  abundant  crops  produced  by  the 
skill  born  of  Christian  education.  Think  of  the  waste 
deserts  that  have  been  and  are  being  reclaimed  by  irri¬ 
gation.  What  shall  we  say  of  our  vast  prairie  lands, 
of  the  great  central  plains  of  the  American  continent 
that  have  been  converted  from  a  wilderness  into  exten¬ 
sive  fields  of  ripening  grain  to  feed  the  increasing  mil¬ 
lions  of  the  world’s  population?  Surely  as  we  contem¬ 
plate  these  wonderful  transformations,  we  can  see  a 
marvellous  fulfilment  of  Isaiah’s  prophecy,  44  The  wil¬ 
derness  and  solitary  places  shall  be  glad  for  them.” 

But  is  there  not  a  deeper,  grander,  and  more  glorious 
meaning  to  the  fascinating  predictions  of  this  matchless 
prophecy  ?  Dr.  Adam  Clark  says,  “  The  various  mira¬ 
cles  our  Lord  wrought  are  the  best  comment  on  this 
chapter,  which  predicts  those  wondrous  works,  and  the 
glorious  state  of  the  Christian  church.” 

Jesus  likened  the  world  to  a  field  of  ripening  grain. 
The  imagery  of  Isaiah  and  the  other  prophets  of 
Israel  was  always  before  Him.  We  look  upon  Him  as 
He  sows  the  seed  of  self-sacrifice  for  the  good  of  others, 
and  follow  Him,  in  the  alleviation  of  human  suffering 
and  sorrow,  the  bearing  of  the  world’s  sin,  and  the 
dispensing  of  joy  and  gladness  to  all  around  Him,  and 
w#  learn  the  true  nature  of  gospel  work.  We  study  the 
growing  harvest  under  the  fostering  care  and  cultiva¬ 
tion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  are  led  to  exclaim,  44  What 
hath  God  wrought?  ”  While  it  is  true  that  much  evil 


112  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


abounds  in  Christian  lands,  yet  when  we  compare  the 
blessings  of  our  Christian  civilization  with  the  condi¬ 
tions  that  still  prevail  in  non-Christian  lands,  we  can 
say  with  gratitude,  “  The  wilderness  and  solitary  places 
have  been  made  glad,  and  the  desert  rejoices  and  blos¬ 
soms  as  the  rose.” 

But  it  was  not  the  increased  fertility  of  the  soil,  and 
the  multiplication  of  physical  and  material  benefits  of 
the  people  that  occupied  the  centre  of  the  field  in  the 
prophet’s  vision.  He  was  concerned  with  the  revival 
of  righteousness,  and  the  whole-hearted  return  of  the 
people  to  God  and  the  highway  of  holiness.  This  he 
looked' for  under  the  gospel  of  the  Messiah.  Having  a 
vision  of  this  time  he  said,  “  And  a  highway  shall  be 
there,  and  a  way,  and  it  shall  be  called  The  Way  of 
holiness ;  the  unclean  shall  not  pass  over  it ;  but  it  shall 
be  for  those;  the  wayfaring  men,  though  fools,  shall 
not  err  therein.  No  lion  shall  be  there,  no  ravenous 
beast  shall  go  up  thereon,  it  shall  not  be  found  there; 
but  the  redeemed  shall  walk  there:  and  the  ransomed 
of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs 
and  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads:  they  shall  obtain 
joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee 
away.”  (Isa.  35 :  8-10.) 

In  this  chapter,  the  prophet  is  setting  forth  the 
blessings  to  be  enjoyed  under  the  Messiah,  and  addresses 
the  teachers  of  the  gospel,  to  show  them  that  it  was 
their  business  to  encourage  and  direct  the  people  in 
their  expectation  of  redemption.  The  miracles  which 
Christ  should  work  are  explicitly  mentioned.  These 
could  not  be  more  clearly  and  graphically  described  if 
the  passages  were  taken  from  the  Gospels.  “  Then  the 
eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the 
deaf  shall  be  unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man  leap 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


113 


as  a  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing:  for  in  the 
wilderness  shall  waters  break  out,  and  streams  in  the 
desert.”  (Isa.  35:5,  6.) 

The  Gospel  points  out  the  way  of  holiness  so  clearly 
that  the  unlearned  shall  not  err  therein,  and  evil  men, — 
the  lions  and  ravenous  beasts, —  shall  be  excluded  from 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  ransomed  shall  rejoice 
with  songs  of  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing 
shall  flee  away.  It  is  almost  criminal  for  men  to  at¬ 
tempt  to  rob  this  scripture  of  its  glorious  gospel  set¬ 
ting  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  prop  up  a  fanciful  theory. 

Daniel’s  interpretation  of  the  perplexing  dream  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  is  another  prophecy 
seized  upon  by  the  millennialists  to  prove  that  the  mil¬ 
lennial  kingdom  is  a  necessity  to  fulfil  the  terms  of  Old 
Testament  prophecy. 

Daniel  said,  66  Thou  sawest  till  that  a  stone  was  cut 
out  without  hands,  which  smote  the  image  upon  his  feet 
that  were  of  iron  and  of  clay,  and  brake  them  to  pieces. 
Then  was  the  iron,  the  clay,  the  brass,  the  silver,  and 
the  gold  broken  to  pieces  together,  and  became  like 
chaff  of  the  summer  threshing  floors ;  and  the  wind  car¬ 
ried  them  away  that  no  place  was  found  for  them:  and 
the  stone  that  smote  the  image  became  a  great  moun¬ 
tain,  and  filled  the  whole  earth.”  (Dan.  2 :  34,  35.) 

Premillennialists  place  the  world-triumph  of  this 
mysterious  stone  after  the  second  coming  of  Christ; 
because  Daniel  said  this  vision  of  the  great  image  and 
its  disastrous  fate  was  to  show  the  king,  “  What  shall 
be  in  the  latter  days.”  (Dan.  2:28.)  They  quite 
arbitrarily  define  the  phrase,  “  the  latter  days,”  as 
meaning  the  times  of  their  millennial  period.  The 
literal  rendering  is  “  in  the  after  days,”  or  “  hereafter.” 
That  is  the  rendering  given  in  the  interpretation  of  the 


114  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


dream.  And  it  is  certainly  the  meaning  of  Jacob  in 
blessing  his  sons.  (Gen.  49:1.)  When  Joel  prophe¬ 
sied  of  the  gracious  benefits  of  the  outpouring  of  the 
spirit  of  God  upon  all  flesh,  he  said,  44  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass  afterwards.”  (Joel  2:16,  17.)  Peter  ap¬ 
plied  that  prophecy  to  the  experiences  of  Pentecost, 
saying,  44  But  this  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the 
Prophet  Joel;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days , 
saith  God.” 

In  this  case,  the  phrase  meant  what  would  happen  to 
the  dominions  of  the  king,  and  the  immediately  succeed¬ 
ing  empires,  and  it  adumbrates  the  times  of  the  Mes¬ 
siah.  Jamieson,  Fausset,  and  Brown’s  Commentary 
says,  44  It  refers  to  the  whole  future  including  Messi¬ 
anic  days,  which  is  the  last  dispensation.”  The  gospel 
writers  considered  that  they  were  living  in  44  the  last 
days.”  The  statement  of  Peter  at  Pentecost  can  have 
no  other  meaning.  The  writer  to  the  Hebrews  says, 
44  God  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  His 
Son.”  (Heb.  1 :  1,  2.) 

The  Book  of  Daniel,  especially  the  dream-image  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  occupies  such  a  prominent  place  in 
the  millennial  theory  that  it  is  worthy  of  careful  exam¬ 
ination.  The  first  question  that  presses  for  answer  is 
the  identity  of  the  four  kingdoms  represented  by  this 
composite  and  imposing  colossus  of  the  king-dreamer. 
The  interpretation  very  definitely  states  that  the  head 
of  gold  was  the  kingdom  of  Babylon  of  which  the 
dreamer  was  ruler.  44  After  thee,  shall  arise  another 
kingdom  inferior  to  thee,  and  another  third  kingdom 
of  brass  which  shall  bear  rule  over  all  the  earth ;  and 
the  fourth  kingdom  shall  be  strong  as  iron.”  (Dan. 
2:39,  40.) 

There  is  a  notable  difference  of  opinion  among 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


115 


scholars  and  commentators  regarding  the  identity  of 
these  kingdoms.  Some  maintain  that  they  are  Baby¬ 
lon,  Medo-Persia,  Greece,  and  Rome. 

The  millennialists  found  their  theory  upon  this  divi¬ 
sion  of  the  empires.  For  instance,  Rev.  James  M. 
Gray,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Moody  Bible  Institute,  Chicago, 
in  his  little  book,  Prophecy  and  the  Lord's  Return , 
page  85,  says,  “  These  times  would  be  broken  up  into 
four  periods  coincident  with  the  successive  rules  of  the 
Babylonian,  Persian,  Grecian,  and  Roman  Empires.” 
“  The  Roman  Empire,  which,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  is 
potentially  in  existence  still,  forming  and  controlling 
the  character  of  the  whole  world,  is  towards  the  end 
divided  into  ten  kingdoms,  to  be  federated,  as  our 
prophet  teaches,  under  one  head  —  the  little  horn  with 
eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man  and  a  mouth  speaking  great 
things.”  (Ibid.,  page  85.)  Thus  the  Roman  Empire 
is  not  only  the  fourth  in  the  series  represented  by  Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar’s  colossus,  but  the  last  world  monarchy. 
All  the  monarchies  that  have  existed  since  the  Roman 
Empire  was  broken  to  pieces  by  the  northern  tribes 
are  not  recognized  in  the  king’s  dream-image.  “  This 
colossus  represented  the  Gentile  dominion  of  the  world, 
from  the  time  of  Nebuchadnezzar  until  the  end  of  this 
age,  when  Christ  shall  come  again  to  set  up  His  king¬ 
dom  upon  the  earth.  Further,  it  represents  this  do¬ 
minion  as  divided  into  four  world-empires:  the  Baby¬ 
lonian  symbolized  by  the  head  of  gold ;  the  Medo-Per- 
sian  by  the  breast  and  arms  of  silver;  the  Grecian  by 
the  belly  and  sides  of  brass;  and  the  Roman,  by  the 
legs  of  iron  and  the  feet  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay.” 
(Ibid.,  page  102.)  Again,  the  author  is  at  consider¬ 
able  pains  to  prove  that  the  hour  of  judgment  on  Baby¬ 
lon  is  still  future,  and  44  the  prophecy  of  Babylon’s 


116  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

destruction  is  yet  to  be  fulfilled.”  ( Ibid .,  page  114.) 

This  is  the  latest  millennial  interpretation  of  the 
dream-image.  It  does  not  agree  with  Daniel’s  interpre¬ 
tation,  but  that  does  not  seem  to  make  much  difference, 
as  long  as  it  supplies  apparent  support  to  the  millennial 
theory.  But  there  is  a  wide  divergence  of  opinion 
among  millennialists,  in  the  working  out  of  these  king¬ 
doms  which  creates  a  suspicion  that,  after  all,  their  in¬ 
spiration  is  not  wholly  divine.  There  seems  to  be  a 
good  deal  of  human  frailty  and  uncertainty  in  it,  that 
the  best  of  them  cannot  wholly  overcome. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  very  serious  difficul¬ 
ties  in  the  way  of  proving  that  the  Roman  Empire  was 
the  fourth  kingdom  of  this  “  colossal  image,”  or,  for 
that  matter,  whether  it  is  anywhere  referred  to  in 
Daniel  as  a  world  power.  A  careful  study  of  the  image 
as  described  and  interpreted  by  Daniel,  makes  it  plain 
that  these  were  political  kingdoms,  so  connected  as  to 
produce  the  image  of  a  complete  man,  and  that  they 
were  to  follow  one  another  in  regular  order  of  succes¬ 
sion,  each  kingdom  growing  out  of  the  former.  The 
student  of  history  is  confronted  by  the  fact  that  the 
Grecian  Empire  of  Alexander  the  Great  was  divided 
into  four  kingdoms  of  which  the  Syrian  held  sway  over 
the  land  of  the  Jews  for  nearly  three  centuries  before 
the  Roman  Empire  got  a  footing  in  Asia.  Further¬ 
more,  the  Roman  Empire,  notwithstanding  Dr.  Gray’s 
“  potential  ”  existence,  whatever  that  may  mean,  was 
broken  to  pieces  as  a  political  kingdom  about  fourteen 
hundred  years  ago. 

Some  eminent  writers  on  Daniel  noting  these  diffi¬ 
culties  and  impressed  by  the  extent  and  power  of  the 
Syrian  kingdom  under  the  Seleucid  Kings,  make  it 
the  fourth  kingdom.  But  both  these  theories  combine 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


m 


Media  and  Persia  as  one  kingdom.  Whatever  may  be 
the  facts  of  history,  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Daniel 
looked  upon  these  as  two  distinct  kingdoms.  It  is  his 
view  that  we  must  take,  for  he  is  both  the  discoverer 
and  interpreter  of  the  Imperial  dream.  He  closes  the 
account  of  Belshazzar’s  sacrilegious  feast  with  the  state¬ 
ment,  “  In  that  night  was  Belshazzar  the  king  of  the 
Chaldeans  slain.  And  Darius  the  Median  took  the 
kingdom.”  (Ch.  5:30,  ’31.)  He  dates  his  own  vision 
by  the  great  river  Hiddekel  “  in  the  third  year  of  Cyrus 
King  of  Persia.”  (Ch.  10:1.)  While  he  repeatedly 
records  appeals  to  “  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  the  Per¬ 
sians  which  altereth  not  ”  (Chap.  6:8),  he  clearly  dis¬ 
tinguishes  between  the  two  kingdoms.  There  certainly 
was  a  period  when  the  Medians  under  Darius  ruled  over 
defeated  Babylon.  Darius  re-organized  that  kingdom, 
by  appointing  over  it  “  an  hundred  and  twenty  princes 
which  should  be  over  the  whole  kingdom ;  and  over  these 
three  presidents.”  (Ch.  6: 1,  2.)  He  also  made  a  de¬ 
cree  “  unto  all  people,  nations,  and  languages  that 
dwell  in  all  the  earth.”  (Ch.  6:  25.)  Furthermore,  in 
the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  (Chapter  8),  clear 
distinction  is  again  made  between;  the  kingdoms  of 
Media  and  Persia.  “  Then  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes,  and 
saw,  and  behold,  there  stood  before  the  river  a  ram 
which  had  two  horns :  and  the  two  horns  were  high ;  but 
one  was  higher  than  the  other,  and  the  higher  came  up 
last.”  (Verse  3.)  The  interpretation  is,  “The  ram 
which  thou  sawest  having  two  horns  are  the  kings  of 
Media  and  Persia.”  (Verse  20.) 

“  The  ram  had  two  horns;  that  is  two  kingdoms ,  viz., 
Media  and  Persia ;  but  one  was  higher  than  the  other; 
and  the  higher  came  up  last .  Media,  signified  by  the 
shorter  horn,  was  the  more  ancient  of  the  two  king- 


118  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


doms.  Persia ,  the  higher  horn ,  had  come  up  but  lately, 
and  was  of  little  historic  or  political  importance  till 
the  time  of  Cyrus ;  but  in  the  reigns  of  this  prince  and 
his  immediate  successors,  Persia  attained  a  political 
consequence  greatly  superior  to  that  possessed  at  any 
time  by  the  kingdom  of  Media ;  therefore,  it  is  said  to 
have  been  the  higher ,  and  to  have  come  up  last.”  (Dr. 
A.  Clark’s  Commentary.')  The  second  kingdom  was  to 
be  inferior  to  the  first  and  also  the  third.  This  was 
the  relative  strength  of  Media,  which  we  identify  as 
the  second  kingdom.  Therefore  the  four  kingdoms  that 
were  before  the  writer  of  the  Book  of  Daniel  were: 
Babylon,  Media,  Persia,  and  Grecia.  If  the  unity  of 
the  book  is  to  be  maintained,  the  various  visions  de¬ 
scribed  therein,  predicting  the  rise  and  fall  of  kingdoms, 
must  be  consistent  with  each  other. 

In  the  vision  of  the  four  great  beasts  that  came  up 
out  of  the  troubled  sea  (Chapter  7),  and  the  vision  of 
the  ram  and  the  he-goat  (Chapter  8),  Grecia  is  clearly 
defined  as  the  fourth  great  kingdom.  In  the  latter  vi¬ 
sion,  Babylon  does  not  come  into  view.  Its  fate  had 
been  sealed.  It  is  only  the  three:  Media,  Persia,  and 
Grecia,  that  are  yet  to  make  history.  Grecia  is  fea¬ 
tured  as  the  rough  he-goat,  and  “  the  great  horn  that 
is  between  his  eyes  is  the  first  king.”  (Ch.  8:21.) 
The  identity  of  Alexander  the  Great  as  this  king  is 
unmistakable.  When  he  died,  the  kingdom  was  divided 
into  four  parts,  according  to  the  vision,  “  Now  that 
being  broken,  whereas  four  stood  up  for  it,  four  king¬ 
doms  shall  stand  up  out  of  the  nation.”  These  visions 
do  not  give  the  historical  events  in  regular  historical 
order,  hence  the  difficulty  in  the  absence  of  reliable  and 
complete  contemporary  history  of  obtaining  a  perfectly 
satisfactory  explanation  of  every  detail,  and  of  filling 


119 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 

in  the  gaps.  Any  attempts  to  do  this  would  be  foreign 
to  the  purpose  of  our  study.  We  therefore  confine 
ourselves  to  the  general  outline  of  events  as  indicated 
by  Daniel. 

The  fourth  beast,  having  subdued  the  earth,  pro¬ 
duced  ten  horns.  (Chap.  7:7.)  But  previous  to  the 
appearance  of  these  ten  horns,  there  were  four  horns, 
and  of  these  one  of  them,  a  44  little  horn,”  plucked  up 
by  the  roots  the  three  other  horns  that  were  before  it. 
These  outstanding  features  serve  to  identify  the  fourth 
kingdom.  Grecia  was  broken  into  four  kingdoms. 
44  In  the  latter  time  of  their  kingdom,  when  the  trans¬ 
gressors  are  come  to  the  full,  a  king  of  fierce  counte¬ 
nance,  and  understanding  dark  sentences,  shall  stand 
up,  and  his  power  shall  be  mighty.”  (Chap.  8:  9,  22, 
23.)  This  little  horn  was  undoubtedly  the  fierce  and 
terrible  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  the  Syrian  king,  who  sub¬ 
dued  the  other  kingdoms  of  the  Diadochi,  in  which  the 
Grecian  Empire  was  divided.  In  the  Seleucidae 
dynasty,  there  were  ten  kings  that  preceded  Antiochus 
Epiphanes.  This,  then,  would  seem  to  be  the  order  in 
which  the  vision  worked  out.  Grecia,  the  fourth  beast, 
was  divided  into  four  kingdoms,  of  these  one  under 
Seleucus  was  composed  of  Upper  Asia.  The  eleventh 
in  the  succession  of  the  Seleucid  kings  was  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  who  made  conquest  of  the  whole  country. 

Another  point  of  identity  of  the  fourth  kingdom  is 
the  mineral  characteristic.  The  change  of  images  in¬ 
volves  difficulties,  but  still  common  characteristics  ap¬ 
pear.  For  instance,  the  fourth  beast  44  had  great  teeth 
of  iron;  it  devoured  and  brake  in  pieces,  and  stamped 
the  residue  with  the  feet  of  it.”  (Chap.  7:7.)  The 
fourth  kingdom  of  Nebuchadnezzar’s  colossus  was  part 
of  iron  and  part  of  clay.  44  And  the  fourth  kingdom 


120  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


shall  be  strong  as  iron :  forasmuch  as  iron  breaketh  in 
pieces  and  subdueth  all  things :  and  as  iron  breaketh  all 
these,  shall  it  break  in  pieces  and  bruise.”  (Chap.  2: 
33,  40.)  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  in  such  enigmatical 
imagery  it  is  possible  to  get  a  more  complete  identity. 
The  fourth  and  iron  kingdom  of  the  colossus,  corre¬ 
sponds  to  the  fourth  beast  with  iron  teeth,  which  corre¬ 
sponds  with  the  rough  he-goat,  with  a  great  horn  be¬ 
tween  his  eyes,  which  was  the  kingdom  of  Grecia  under 
Alexander  the  Great.  If  this  line  of  identity  is  cor¬ 
rect,  and  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  other  that  will 
harmonize  the  Book  of  Daniel,  the  interpretations  of 
which  must  be  accepted  by  the  true  exegete,  the  four 
kingdoms  of  the  colossus,  or  dream-image,  were  Baby¬ 
lon,  Media,  Persia,  and  Grecia. 

Objection  is  urged  against  Grecia  being  the  fourth 
kingdom  on  the  ground  that  44  the  feet  part  of  iron 
and  part  of  clay  ”  were  divided  into  ten  toes,  therefore 
the  fourth  kingdom  was  to  be  divided  into  ten  kingdoms, 
whereas  Grecia  was  divided  into  only  four  kingdoms,  the 
Diadochi.  If  this  objection  were  well  founded  it  would 
rule  out  the  Roman  Empire  as  the  fourth  kingdom,  be¬ 
cause  it  was  not  broken  up  into  ten  kingdoms  by  the 
conquering  northmen.  Many  and  ingenious  shifts 
have  been  made  to  get  ten  kingdoms  out  of  decadent 
Rome,  but  the  outstanding  feature  of  them  all  is  the 
lack  of  agreement  and  the  evident  guesses  at  the  conun¬ 
drum.  Dr.  James  M.  Gray,  a  leading  premillennial 
teacher,  has  abandoned  the  hope  of  finding  anything  in 
history  whereby  these  supposed  ten  kingdoms  can  be 
identified.  He  is  satisfied  that  the  44  potential  ”  Roman 
Empire  that  is  still  in  existence,  in  some  undefined  imag¬ 
inary  way  will  yet  come  into  view  and  be  broken  into 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel  1£1 

ten  kingdoms  so  as  to  satisfy  the  terms  of  the  millennial 
interpretation  of  prophecy.  He  says  : 

“  The  prophet  teaches  that  by  and  by  Gentile  domin¬ 
ion,  as  represented  in  this  empire,  shall  be  broken  up 
into  ten  kingdoms.  It  is  difficult  to  point  out  these 
kingdoms  now,  but  doubtless  a  new  alignment  will  be 
made  ere  long,  so  that  the  ten  may  be  easily  identified.” 
( Prophecy  and  the  Lord’s  Return ,  page  105.) 

But  does  the  prophet  teach  that  the  fourth  kingdom 
of  the  dream-image  66  shall  be  broken  up  into  ten  king¬ 
doms  ”?  There  is  not  a  hint  of  such  a  division  either 
in  the  description  of  the  image  or  in  the  interpretation. 
In  the  vision  of  the  fourth  great  beast  two  sets  of  horns 
are  described,  one  of  “  ten  horns,”  and  one  of  four;  of 
the  four  one  was  a  “  little  horn.”  But  the  interpre¬ 
tation  says  “  the  ten  horns  of  this  kingdom  are  ten 
kings  that  shall  arise.”  These  ten  kings  may  not  rule 
over  ten  kingdoms,  they  may  be  successive  kings  in  the 
same  kingdom.  We  have  already  given  the  most  plausi¬ 
ble  historic  identity  of  these  kings.  After  the  death  of 
Alexander  the  Great,  the  Grecian  Empire  was  divided 
among  his  four  principal  generals.  Cassander  ruled 
Greece  and  Macedonia;  Lysimachus  in  Asia  Minor; 
Ptolemy  in  Egypt,  Coele-Syria  and  Palestine ;  and 
Seleucus  in  Upper  Asia.  The  ten  kings  were  the  con¬ 
quering  Seleucidae. 

We  now  come  to  the  mysterious  stone  that  “  was  cut 
out  without  hands,  which  smote  the  image  upon  his  feet 
that  were  of  iron  and  clay,  and  brake  them  in  pieces.” 
(Ch.  2:  34*. )  The  interpretation  is  thus  given: 

“  And  in  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of 
heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be  destroyed : 
and  a  kingdom  which  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people, 


122  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  king¬ 
doms,  and  it  shall  stand  for  ever.  Forasmuch  as  thou 
sawest  that  a  stone  was  cut  out  of  the  mountain  with¬ 
out  hands,  and  that  it  break  in  pieces  the  iron,  the 
brass,  the  clay,  the  silver,  and  the  gold ;  the  Great  God 
hath  made  known  unto  thee  what  will  come  to  pass  here¬ 
after  :  and  the  dream  is  certain,  and  the  interpretation 
sure.”  (Ch.  2:  44,  45.) 

A  great  variety  of  conjectures  have  been  advanced 
in  explanation  of  this  stone.  Perhaps  the  most  fanci¬ 
ful  is  that  of  the  millennialists,  which  holds  that  this 
victorious  stone  is  yet  wholly  in  the  future,  and  is  the 
millennial  reign  of  Christ  on  earth,  in  bodily  presence. 
This  conjecture  is  disproved  by  the  fact  that  the  whole 
circumstance  and  setting  of  the  dream  make  it  a  matter 
of  immediate  vital  concern  to  the  troubled  king  of  Baby¬ 
lon,  If  the  destruction  of  this  stone  was  to  be  post¬ 
poned  for  thousands  of  years,  all  cause  for  anxiety  on 
the  part  of  the  king  would  be  immediately  removed. 
But  the  interpretation  distinctly  states  that  the  king¬ 
dom  of  Babylon,  the  kingdom  of  gold,  was  to  be  broken 
in  pieces,  by  this  stone.  Some  have  taken  the  Roman 
Empire  to  be  this  stone,  others  have  identified  it  with 
the  Syrian  kingdom  under  Antiochus  Epiphanes. 
While  a  fairly  reasonable  argument  is  worked  out  in 
support  of  both  of  these  hypotheses,  none  of  them  fully 
meet  the  demands  of  the  whole  vision. 

First  of  all,  we  must  keep  in  view  that  the  stone  was 
not  a  person,  but  a  kingdom  over  which  God  was  the 
ruler.  “  In  the  days  of  these  kings,  shall  the  God  of 
heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be  de¬ 
stroyed.”  (Verse  44.)  Not  only  would  this  kingdom 
strike  the  feet  of  iron  and  clay  and  break  them  in 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


m 


pieces,  but  it  would  also  break  in  pieces  the  silver  and 
brass  and  gold.  It  was  to  be  set  up  “  in  the  days  of 
these  kings,”  and  break  in  pieces  all  these  kingdoms. 
It  must,  therefore,  have  been  a  kingdom  that  existed 
contemporaneously  with  those  kingdoms.  As  there  was 
no  such  earthly  political  kingdom,  it  must  have  been  a 
heavenly  spiritual  kingdom,  of  which  the  pure  and  holy 
of  God’s  chosen  people  were  the  earthly  citizens. 

Daniel  was  before  the  king  of  Babylon,  who  had  de¬ 
stroyed  Jerusalem  with  its  holy  temple,  and  had  taken 
the  Jews  into  captivity.  Daniel  was  certainly  looking 
forward  to  the  restoration  and  the  rebuilding  of  the 
temple.  This  hope  was  assuredly  in  the  foreground  of 
his  vision.  The  restoration  took  place  under  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  and  began  <e  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus  king 
of  Persia.”  (Ezra  1:1.) 

We  have  the  counterpart  of  this  stone  in  the  vision 
of  the  four  beasts.  The  dreamer  says, 

I  beheld  until  the  thrones  were  cast  down,  and  the 
Ancient  of  Days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as  snow, 
and  the  hair  of  His  head  like  pure  wool:  His  throne  was 
like  the  fiery  flame,  and  His  wheels  as  burning  fire.  A 
fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  before  him;  and 
thousand  thousands  ministered  unto  Him,  and  ten  thou¬ 
sand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  Him:  the  Judgment 
was  set  and  the  books  were  opened.  I  beheld  then  because 
of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  which  the  little  horn  spake: 
I  beheld  even  until  the  beast  was  slain,  and  his  body  de¬ 
stroyed  and  given  to  the  burning  flame.  As  for  the  rest 
of  the  beasts,  they  had  their  dominion  taken  away:  yet 
their  lives  were  prolonged  for  a  season  and  a  time. 

I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and,  behold,  one  like  the  Son 
of  Man  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  the 
Ancient  of  Days  and  they  brought  Him  near  before  Him. 
And  there  was  given  Him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  king¬ 
dom  that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages  should  serve 


124  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Him.  His  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which 
shall  not  pass  away,  and  His  kingdom  that  which  shall  not 
be  destroyed.  (Chap.  7:9-14.) 

The  following  interpretation  of  this  vision  is  quite 
full.  Evidently  the  immediate  meaning  is  that  Anti- 
ochus  Epiphanes  is  “  the  horn  that  made  war  with  the 
saints  and  prevailed  against  them.”  (Verses  8,  SI.) 
All  the  terms  descriptive  of  this  “  little  horn,”  his  great 
swelling  words,  his  blasphemies,  his  war  with  the  saints, 
and  his  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  the  defilement  of  the 
temple,  and  taking  away  of  the  sacrifice,  describe  this 
king.  The  eleventh  chapter  of  Daniel  gives  an  enig¬ 
matical  summary  of  the  events  by  which  he  rose  to 
power,  his  victories  over  the  neighbouring  members  of 
the  Diadochi,  especially  the  Ptolemies  of  Egypt,  and 
his  war  against  Jerusalem,  the  taking  away  of  the  daily 
sacrifice,  and  the  “  abomination  that  maketh  desolate 
standing  in  the  place  where  it  ought  not.”  (Ch.  11: 
81.)  The  particular  account  of  these  attacks  upon 
“  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  ”  is  given  in  the  first  Book 
of  Maccabees.  These  books  are  not  included  in  the 
canonical  scriptures,  but  they  are  accepted  as  fairly 
reliable  history.  The  account  reads : 

So  Alexander  reigned  twelve  years  and  then  died.  And 
his  servants  bore  rule  every  one  in  his  place.  And  after 
his  death,  they  all  put  crowns  upon  themselves;  so  did 
their  sons  after  them  many  years:  and  evils  were  mul¬ 
tiplied  in  the  earth.  And  there  came  out  of  them  a  wicked 
root,  Antiochus,  surnamed  Epiphanes,  son  of  Antiochus 
the  king,  who  had  been  a  hostage  of  Rome,  and  he  reigned 
in  the  hundred  and  thirty  and  seventh  year  of  the  king  of 
Greece.  (1  Mac.  1:7-10.) 

Then  follows  a  summary  of  his  deeds  quite  in  line 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


125 


with  the  visions  of  Daniel,  particularly  his  war  against 
the  Jews  and  his  defilement  of  the  temple. 

Then  many  of  the  people  were  gathered  unto  them,  to 
wit.  every  one  that  forsook  the  law ;  and  so  they  committed 
evils  in  the  land;  and  drove  the  Israelites  into  secret 
places,  even  wheresoever  they  could  flee  for  succour.  Now 
the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month  casleu,  in  the  hundred  and 
forty  and  fifth  year,  they  set  up  the  abomination  of  deso¬ 
lation  upon  the  altar,  and  builded  idol  altars  throughout 
the  cities  of  Juda  on  every  side;  and  burnt  incense  at  the 
doors  of  their  houses  and  in  the  streets.  (Verses  52,  54.) 

Here  we  have  a  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  of  Daniel 
regarding  the  deeds  of  the  66  little  horn  ”  that  came  out 
of  the  fourth  beast.  The  Ancient  of  Days,  who  sat  in 
judgment  with  the  thousands  ministering  unto  him,  was 
none  other  than  the  Most  High  God.  “  And  judgment 
was  given  unto  the  saints  of  the  Most  High:  and  the 
time  came  that  the  saints  possessed  the  kingdom.” 
(Dan.  7:22.) 

But  who  is  the  “  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man  who 
came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  unto  the  An¬ 
cient  of  Days  ”?  The  explanation  of  Archdeacon 
Farrar  on  this  phase  of  the  vision  is  a  very  reasonable 
and  consistent  exposition.  He  says : 

That  the  vision  is  meant  to  indicate  the  Messianic  the¬ 
ocracy  cannot  be  doubted,  but  if  we  follow  the  interpreta¬ 
tion  given  by  the  angel  himself  in  answer  to  Daniel’s  en¬ 
treaty  the  personality  of  the  Messiah  seems  at  least  some¬ 
what  subordinated  or  indistinct.  (Dan.  7:15—28.)  For 
the  interpretation,  without  mentioning  any  person,  seems 
to  point  only  to  the  saints  of  Israel  who  are  to  inherit  and 
maintain  that  divine  kingdom  which  has  already  been 
thrice  asserted  and  prophesied.  It  is  the  saints  or 
holy  ones,  “  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,”  upon  whom  the 


126  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


never  ending  sovereignty  is  conferred;  and  who  these  are 
cannot  be  misunderstood,  for  they  are  the  very  same  against 
whom  the  little  horn  has  been  engaged  in  war.  The  Mes¬ 
sianic  kingdom  is  here  predominantly  represented  as  the 
spiritual  supremacy  of  the  chosen  people.  Neither  here, 
nor  in  chapter  2:44,  nor  in  chapter  12:3,  does  the  writer 
separately  indicate  any  Davidic  king,  or  priest  upon  his 
throne,  as  had  already  been  done  by  so  many  previous 
prophets.  This  vision  does  not  seem  to  have  brought  into 
prominence  the  rule  of  any  Divinely  Incarnate  Christ  over 
the  kingdom  of  the  Highest.  In  this  respect  the  “  one 
even  as  the  Son  of  man,”  comes  upon  us  as  a  surprise,  and 
seems  to  indicate  that  the  true  interpretation  of  that  ele¬ 
ment  of  the  vision  is  that  the  kingdom  of  the  saints  is  here 
personified;  so  that  as  wild  beasts  were  appropriate  em¬ 
blems  of  the  world  powers,  the  reasonableness  and  sanctity 
of  the  saintly  theocracy  are  indicated  by  a  human  form, 
which  has  its  origin  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  not  in  the  miry 
and  troubled  sea.  (Expositor’s  Bible.) 

Another  vision  of  Daniel  worthy  of  examination  in 
this  connection,  is  that  of  the  44  seventy  weeks.”  After 
studying  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah  concerning  the 
seventy  years’  captivity,  Daniel  prayed  unto  the  Lord, 
and  even  while  he  was  speaking,  Gabriel,  who  had  pre¬ 
viously  visited  him  to  help  him,  and  informed  him  that 
44  seventy  weeks  were  determined  upon  thy  people.” 
This  44  seventy  weeks  ”  is  divided  into  44  seven  weeks,” 
44  three  score  and  two,”  and  <4  one  week.” 

Very  much  has  been  written,  with  very  uncertain  re¬ 
sults  in  the  effort  to  define  those  time  limits,  and  to  fix 
dates.  But  in  those  years  the  very  indifferent  and  con¬ 
flicting  methods  in  reckoning  time,  the  uncertainty  of 
the  starting  point,  and  other  difficulties  that  present 
themselves  to  chronologists  are  very  serious  problems. 

It  is  quite  evident,  however,  that  46  the  seven  weeks  ” 
unto  the  Messiah  the  Prince  and  the  restoration  and 
building  of  Jerusalem,  correspond  to  Jeremiah’s  sev- 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


127 


enty  years.  This  is  the  period  from  the  captivity  un¬ 
der  Nebuchadnezzar  to  the  restoration  under  Cyrus. 
The  Authorized  Version  instead  of  translating  the  He¬ 
brew  of  these  passages,  has  given  us  a  transliteration 
capitalized,  which  gives  the  impression  that  Messiah 
here  means  Jesus.  The  Revised  Version  corrects  this 
by  translating  and  making  it  read,  44  Unto  the  Anointed 
One,  the  Prince.”  But  who  was  this  anointed  prince? 
Commentators  differ,  but  as  the  restoration  was  under 
Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  whose  spirit  was  stirred  up  by 
the  Lord  (Ezra  1:1),  he  is  accepted  by  some  eminent 
scholars  as  the  anointed  prince.  This  is  agreeable  to 
the  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  44  Thus  saith  the  Lord  to  his 
anointed,  to  Cyrus,  whose  right  hand  I  have  holden.” 
(Isa.  45:1.) 

44  After  threescore  and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be 
cut  off,  but  not  for  Himself.”  (Dan.  9:26.)  This  is 
so  like  the  cutting  off  of  Jesus  that  one  is  inclined  to 
settle  in  his  mind  at  once  that  this  was  the  immediate 
meaning  of  the  prophet.  It  is  quite  natural  to  suppose 
that  the  prophet  had  before  him  some  event  connected 
with  the  kingdoms  he  was  defining.  As  the  44  seven 
weeks  ”  pointed  to  the  time  of  the  restoration  under 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  so  the  sixty-two  weeks  would  point 
to  some  outstanding  event  in  Israel’s  history  connected 
with  these  kingdoms.  We  get  a  clue  in  the  fact  that 
while  the  44  seven  weeks  ”  points  to  the  restoration  of 
Jerusalem,  the  sixty-two  weeks  to  the  destruction  of 
44  the  city  and  the  sanctuary  ”  by  the  people  of  the 
prince.  This  destruction  was  under  Antiochus  Epipha- 
nes,  as  we  have  seen  above,  whose  war  against  44  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High  ”  occupies  such  a  large  place 
in  the  Book  of  Daniel.  But  who  is  the  Messiah  that 
would  be  cut  off?  The  same  peculiarity  of  translation 


128  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

is  found  here  as  in  the  preceding1  passage.  The  Re¬ 
vised  Version  reads,  44  The  anointed  one  be  cut  off.” 
When  Antiochus  Epiphanes  destroyed  Jerusalem, 
Onias  III  was  the  rightful  high  priest  and  he  was  foully 
murdered. 

44  There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  this  is  a 
reference  to  the  deposition  of  the  high  priest  Onias 
and  his  murder  by  Andronicus.”  (Farrar,  Expositor's 
Bible.)  This  startling  event  is  thus  described  in  the 
Maccabees. 

Wherefore  Menelaus,  taking  Andronicus  apart,  prayed 
him  to  get  Onias  into  his  hands ;  who  being  persuaded  there¬ 
unto  and  coming  to  Onias  in  deceit,  gave  him  his  right  hand 
with  oaths;  and  though  he  was  suspected  by  him,  yet  per¬ 
suaded  he  him  to  come  forth  of  the  sanctuary:  whom  forth^ 
with  he  shut  up  without  regard  to  Justice.  For  the  which 
cause  not  only  the  Jews,  but  many  also  of  other  nations 
took  great  indignation,  and  were  much  grieved  for  the 
unjust  murder  of  ,the  man.  (2  Mac.  4:  34,  35.) 

Thus  44  the  anointed  one  ”  was  cut  off.  Following 
this,  there  was  a  restoration  under  Judas  Maccabseus, 
and  the  overthrow  of  the  power  of  Antiochus  Epi¬ 
phanes.  The  detailed  history  of  these  times  as  given 
in  Daniel  and  the  Maccabees,  as  well  as  other  writings,  is 
most  interesting  and  illuminating. 

Some  scornfully  reject  this  exposition  of  Daniel,  be¬ 
cause  they  think  it  eliminates  from  these  prophecies 
the  Messianic  hope.  In  this  they  err  greatly.  While 
they  assuredly  deal  with  the  immediate  conflicts  and 
sufferings  of  Israel,  under  the  oppressive  world  empires, 
they  look  forward  to  an  ultimate  triumph  that  can  have 
its  realization  only  in  Christ  and  His  gospels.  There 
are  in  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  the  immedi¬ 
ate  and  the  more  remote  fulfilments.  History  certainly 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


129 


repeats  itself.  For  instance,  while  the  murder  of  the 
high  priest,  Onias  III,  is  an  undoubted  fulfilment  of  the 
prediction,  “  After  three  score  and  two  weeks  shall  the 
anointed  one  be  cut  off,”  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  is  the 
more  complete  fulfilment.  By  some  methods  of  compu¬ 
tation,  the  sixty-two  figure  out  the  exact  number  of 
years  from  the  restoration  under  Cyrus  64  the  Anointed 
Prince  ”  to  the  cutting  off  of  Jesus,  but  there  is  such 
a  variety  of  computations,  and  such  a  confusion  of  ver¬ 
sions  that  it  is  practically  impossible  to  obtain  any 
harmon3r  in  the  dates.  It  is  better  to  recognize  the 
actual  facts  that  we  have  not  sufficient  data  to  deter¬ 
mine  exactly  how  the  prophet  computed  the  time,  and 
therefore  we  are  unable  to  eliminate  all  the  apparent 
discrepancies.  This  in  no  way  discredits  the  predic¬ 
tions.  It  simply  admits  what  every  scholar  must,  that 
there  are  things  we  do  not  know. 

It  may  be  asked, —  Do  these  great  epochs  in  Israel’s 
history  satisfy  the  predictions  of  a  general  pardon  of 
sins  and  reconciliation  as  predicted  in  Chapter  9 :  24  ? 
Of  course  in  all  the  Messianic  prophecies  there  is  a 
fulness  of  hope  and  salvation  that  overreaches  all  his¬ 
torical  fulfilments,  which  can  be  explained  by  the  fact 
that  the  prophets  held  in  view  that  ideal  state  which 
can  have  its  complete  realization  only  in  the  fulness  of 
the  heavenly  glory.  It  is  the  44  saints  of  the  Most 
High  ”  in  whom  there  is  an  end  of  sin,  and  complete 
reconciliation.  This  passage  may  apply  to  the  great 
revival  of  religion  under  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  (Neh., 
Chap.  8),  the  reformation  under  the  Maccabees,  or 
more  particularly  the  great  work  of  God  under  the  full 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

This  historical  interpretation  of  the  prophecies  of 
Daniel  gives  a  sure  basis  for  the  Messianic  hope,  also 


130  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  identity  and  sweep  of  the  everlasting  and  triumph¬ 
ant  kingdom  of  heaven  as  seen  by  the  prophet.  Thus 
in  the  dream-image,  Daniel  saw  this  kingdom,  “  as  a 
stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands  ”  and 
breaking  in  pieces  the  other  kingdoms.  Some  exposi¬ 
tors  overlook  the  fact  that  this  kingdom  broke  in 
pieces  not  only  the  kingdom  of  iron  and  clay,  but  like¬ 
wise  the  kingdoms  of  brass,  of  silver,  and  of  gold.  No 
political  kingdom  did  this,  or  could  do  it.  These  po¬ 
litical  kingdoms  followed  each  other  in  order  of  succes¬ 
sion.  There  was  no  earthly  kingdom  that  existed  con¬ 
temporaneously  with  all  these  kingdoms.  No  millen¬ 
nial  kingdom  that  is  still  in  the  future  could  carry 
out  this  work  of  destruction.  Neither  was  it  the  gos¬ 
pel  of  Jesus  that  broke  down  these  kingdoms  because 
they  had  all  passed  into  history  centuries  before  the 
advent  of  Jesus.  The  only  remaining  explanation  is 
that  it  was  the  sovereign  rule  of  the  invisible  God  that 
set  up  these  kingdoms,  allowed  them  to  fulfil  their  des¬ 
tiny,  and  then  broke  them  down. 

This  is  certainly  the  import  of  the  vision  of  the  tree 
which  so  troubled  the  king  of  Babylon,  the  first  great 
king.  (Chap.  4.)  This  was  the  interpretation  of 
Daniel.  “  Till  thou  know  that  the  most  High  ruleth 
in  the  kingdom  of  men,  and  giveth  it  to  whomsoever  He 
will.”  (Chap.  4:25.) 

The  “  stone  cut  without  hands  ”  indicated  the  king¬ 
dom,  not  of  the  literal  Israel,  but  of  the  ideal  Israel, 
“the  saints  of  the  Most  High”  (Chap.  7),  which  is 
composed  both  of  Jews  and  of  Gentiles.  “  The  divinest 
side  of  Messianic  prophecy  is  the  expression  of  that  un¬ 
quenchable  hope,  and  of  the  indomitable  faith  which  are 
the  most  glorious  outcome  of  all  that  is  most  divine  in 
the  spirit  of  man.  That  faith  and  hope  never  have 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


131 


found  even  an  ideal  or  approximate  fulfilment  save  in 
Christ  and  his  kingdom,  which  is  now,  and  shall  be 
without  end.”  (Farrar,  Expositor's  Bible.) 

This  ideal  kingdom  of  heaven  is  an  everlasting  king¬ 
dom.  It  is  not  to  be  estimated  merely  by  the  people 
who  adhere  to  the  literal  Israel,  whether  the  ancient,  or 
the  larger  Israel  of  the  gospel.  The  invisible  hosts  of 
heaven  are  a  vital  force  in  this  kingdom.  Paul  de¬ 
scribes  it  as  44  the  whole  family  in  heaven,  and  in  earth.” 
(Eph.  3:15.)  The  Ancient  of  Days  in  Daniel’s  vi¬ 
sion  had  associated  with  Him  44  thousand  thousands 
who  ministered  unto  him.”  (Dan.  7:10.) 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  everlasting.  No  breaks 
of  human  history  can  interrupt  its  continuity.  Even 
though  there  may  be  a  general  apostasy,  there  are  al¬ 
ways  the  hosts  in  heaven,  and  on  earth  44  a  remnant  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  election  of  grace.”  (Rom.  11:5.) 

While  the  kingdom  of  heaven, —  the  realm  and  rule 
of  God,  both  in  heaven  and  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of 
men, —  always  has  been  in  existence,  its  revelation  to 
the  world  has  been  marked  by  great  epochs  in  human 
history.  For  instance,  the  giving  of  the  Law  on  Sinai, 
and  the  advent  of  Jesus  and  the  revelations  of  the  gos¬ 
pel.  Between  these  two  events,  there  was  a  very  check¬ 
ered  religious  history,  of  lapses  and  revivals,  under 
the  rule  of  the  theocracy,  and  the  kings.  There  grew 
up  the  school  of  prophets  who  expounded  the  law  and 
preached  righteousness.  These  had  constantly  before 
them  the  final  triumph  of  righteousness.  Though  the 
prophets  themselves  evidently  did  not  understand  the 
full  meaning  of  the  predictions  they  were  sometimes  led 
to  make  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  they 
foresaw  the  ingathering  of  the  nations  under  the  rule 
of  God,  and  the  coming  upon  the  world  of  the  univer- 


132  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


sal  blessings  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  44  when  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  will  fill  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea.”  (Isa.  11:9;  Hab.  2:14;  Heb.  8:10- 
12.) 

Thus  what  the  bud  is  to  the  flower,  the  law  and  the 
prophets  are  to  the  gospel.  Jesus  strongly  emphasized 
this  relationship.  He  said,  44  Think  not  that  I  am  come 
to  destroy  the  law  and  the  Prophets ;  I  am  not  come  to 
destroy  but  to  fulfil.”  (Matt.  5:17.)  His  teaching 
of  the  extent  and  power  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
that  it  would  overcome  all  opposition  and  fill  the  whole 
earth  with  its  light  and  salvation.  This  teaching  He 
put  forth  in  the  delightful  parables  of  the  44  mustard 
seed,”  and  the  leaven  in  the  measures  of  meal.  (Matt. 
13:31-33.) 

Here  we  meet  a  strange  perversion.  Millennialists 
interpret  these  parables  to  mean  that  the  whole  world 
will  be  so  permeated  and  overwhelmed  with  evil  that  it 
will  be  involved  in  helpless,  hopeless  ruin  under  the  gos¬ 
pel  dispensation.  The  only  hope  for  the  world  is  the 
second  coming  of  Christ.  There  must  be  something 
radically  wrong  with  a  theory  that  leads  its  adherents 
to  such  a  misconception  of  truth.  But  they  say  that 
leaven  is  a  symbol  of  sin.  44  As  leaven  permeates  the 
whole  mass  of  meal  and  (leavens  or)  changes  its  nature; 
even  so  sin  will  permeate  the  whole  church  of  Christ, 
and  destroy  its  purity  and  faith.”  Of  course,  they 
quote  scripture  to  enforce  their  argument  and  make 
it  convincing.  Jesus  said  unto  His  disciples,  44  Beware 
of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  ”  (Matt. 
16:6-12),  meaning  their  false  teaching.  Paul  also 
wrote,  44  Purge  out,  therefore,  the  old  leaven  that  ye 
may  be  a  new  lump.  .  .  .  Let  us  keep  the  feast,  not 
with  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness.”  (1  Cor.  5: 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


133 


6-8.)  In  these  connections,  leaven  does  symbolize  sin. 
But  that  is  no  proof  that  it  must  symbolize  sin  in  every 
connection.  If  that  were  true  the  meaning  of  the  para¬ 
ble  would  be :  “  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  the  princi¬ 

ple  of  moral  corruption  that  shall  permeate  the  church 
until  the  whole  world  is  corrupt.”  That  is  a  strange 
gospel  to  preach.  There  is  certainly  no  hope  or  in¬ 
spiration  in  it.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  teaching  is  so 
preposterous  that  one  is  appalled  to  think  that  any  in¬ 
telligent  Christians  can  entertain  it  for  a  moment. 

It  is  the  permeating,  transforming  power  of  leaven 
that  makes  it  such  a  striking  symbol  of  sin.  The  same 
qualities  make  it  equally  impressive  as  a  symbol  of  the 
regenerating  power  of  divine  grace  or  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  It  was  this  power  of  saving  grace  that  Jesus 
emphasized  by  the  parable  of  the  leaven.  This  symbol 
is  carried  beyond  the  individual  atoms  that  form  the 
mass  to  the  mass  itself.  Not  only  is  the  individual  be¬ 
liever  saved,  but  the  g^roup  of  individuals  who  form  the 
society  is  leavened  by  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom. 
“  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  leaven  which  a  woman 
took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal  until  the  whole 
was  leavened.”  (Matt.  13 :  33.) 

The  parable  of  the  mustard  seed  is  also  perverted  to 
teach  that  the  church  is  to  grow  as  a  shelter  for  evil 
persons  which  corrupt  it  beyond  hope.  These  are  rep¬ 
resented  bv  the  fowls  of  the  air  that  lodge  in  its 
branches.  This  feature  of  the  parable  is  only  inciden¬ 
tal  to  its  completeness.  Even  then  there  is  no  reason 
for  supposing  that  the  fowls  are  intended  to  mean  evil 
people.  The  feature  to  be  emphasized  is  the  phenome¬ 
nal  growth  from  the  most  insignificant  beginning  to  the 
greatest  proportions.  This  represents  the  growth  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  (Matt.  13:  31,  32.) 


134  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


But  our  attention  is  turned  to  the  preceding  parable 
of  “  the  wheat  and  the  tares.”  Jesus  said,  “  The  king¬ 
dom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  which  sowed  good  seed 
in  his  field:  but  while  he  slept  the  enemy  came  and  sowed 
tares  among  the  wheat  and  went  his  way.”  (Matt.  13 : 
24-30.)  We  are  assured  that  the  tares  in  the  field 
represent  evil  persons  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  A 
glance  at  the  interpretation  of  Jesus  will  show  the  ab¬ 
surdity  of  this  contention.  Jesus  said,  “  The  field  is 
the  world.  The  good  seed  are  the  children  of  the  king¬ 
dom.”  (Matt.  13:38.)  Therefore,  the  field  in  which 
the  tares  were  sown  is  neither  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
nor  the  church.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  not  like 
unto  the  field  but  “  like  unto  the  man  who  sowed  the 
good  seed  ”  who  66  is  the  Son  of  Man.”  (Verse  37.) 
The  good  seed,  and  they  alone,  are  the  children  of  the 
kingdom.  The  children  of  the  wicked  one,  or  the  tares, 
are  not  in  the  kingdom,  but  in  the  field, —  the  world. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  and  the  organized  church  are 
not  identical.  He  would  be  a  bold  person  who  would 
claim  that  all  church  members  are  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;  there  may  be  many  who  are  not  members  of 
any  church  and  yet  who  are  in  the  kingdom.  When 
millennialists  begin  to  argue  that  the  world  is  growing 
worse,  and  the  church  is  decadent  ;  and  quote  scripture 
to  prove  that  this  is  according  to  the  divine  plan  and 
cannot  be  otherwise,  it  matters  not  how  things  appear ; 
they  seem  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the  church  was 
a  strong  and  flourishing  institution  when  Jesus  spake 
these  parables,  whereas  it  was  only  being  revealed.  It 
was  not  until  Pentecost  that  the  full  gospel  was 
preached  and  the  real  work  of  world  evangelism  was 
commenced. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  not  a  visible  earthly  organ- 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


185 


ization.  It  is  the  sum  total  of  the  moral  principles  and 
spiritual  powers  under  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  operating  through  spiritual  agencies  to  rescue  men 
from  sin  and  save  them  for  eternal  glory.  Paul  gave 
a  swift  definition  when  he  said,  “  For  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  not  meat  and  drink ;  but  righteousness  and 
joy  and  peace  in  the  Roly  Ghost.”  (Rom.  14:17.) 
This  is  the  kingdom  Jesus  held  in  view  when  He  said, 
66  But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  right¬ 
eousness.”  (Matt.  6:88.)  It  is  also  this  kingdom 
that  Jesus  likened  unto  “  a  man  who  sowed  good  seed 
in  his  field  ” ;  “  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  which  grew  into 
a  great  tree  ” ;  and  64  leaven  which  a  woman  took 
and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal  until  the  whole  was 
leavened.”  No  evil  principle  or  person  can  enter  into 
this  kingdom.  Jesus  is  authority  for  the  very  emphatic 
statement,  that  “  Except  a  man  be  born  from  above,  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.”  (John  8:8.)  Only 
by  the  leavening  power  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  under 
the  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  has  any  millennialist 
ever  obtained  salvation  from  sin  and  acceptance  with 
God.  He  has  not  been  saved  by  virtue  of  correct  views 
and  theories  on  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  but  be¬ 
cause  of  his  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  the 
crucified  Jesus,  as  the  only  and  all-sufficient  Saviour. 
By  this  same  process  of  repentance  and  faith  multi¬ 
tudes  have  been  saved  who  are  not  premillennialists, 
in  fact,  have  no  definite  opinions  on  the  subject.  The 
faith  that  has  been  so  efficacious  in  saving  men  and 
Women  through  the  centuries  still  has  virtue  to  heal  all 
who  will  accept  Jesus  as  the  world’s  Redeemer.  In 
spite  of  millennial  pessimism,  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
has  been  leavening  the  world  with  its  marvellous  evan¬ 
gelizing  energy  and  saving  power.  The  fact  that  the 


136  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


whole  world  has  not  been  leavened  and  saved  is  no  evi¬ 
dence  that  God  intended  that  it  should  not  be,  or  that 
God  has  given  the  kingdom  over  to  44  the  man  of  sin  5 
to  be  wholly  corrupted  by  him. 

The  figures  of  these  parables  of  the  44  mustard  seed  ” 
and  44  the  leaven  ”  are  more  comprehensive  and  illumi¬ 
nating  than  may  appear  to  the  casual  reader.  The 
growth  of  the  seed,  and  the  operation  of  the  leaven  de¬ 
pend  upon  fixed  favorable  conditions.  Both  the  seed 
and  the  leaven  must  have  favorable  climatic  as  well  as 
other  conditions.  For  instance,  the  seed  will  not  grow 
in  the  winter  season.  The  leaven  must  be  properly 
mixed  in  the  measures  of  meal,  and  kept  at  a  suitable 
temperature,  or  it  will  not  leaven  the  mass.  In  like 
manner,  there  are  definitely  fixed  conditions  upon  which 
the  extension  and  development  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
among  men  is  determined.  If  it  is  asked  why,  after 
nineteen  hundred  years,  the  world  has  not  been  evangel¬ 
ized,  or  why  the  kingdom  of  heaven  has  not  made  more 
rapid  progress,  the  ready  answer  is  that  the  conditions 
of  progress  and  Christian  evangelization  have  not  been 
complied  with.  The  success  of  the  apostolic  period 
and  the  first  centuries  demonstrate  the  possibilities,  as 
do  also  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  with 
their  grand  evangelizing  movements  and  missionary  en¬ 
terprises.  For  over  a  thousand  years,  Christianity  was 
chilled  into  torpidity  by  its  unfortunate  political  alli¬ 
ances,  theological  controversies,  and  slavery  to  ritual¬ 
istic  observances.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  Reforma¬ 
tion,  the  tides  of  religious  reform  and  evangelism  have 
surged  up  and  down,  but  every  new  movement  has 
reached  a  higher  level.  If  in  these  times  there  seems 
to  be  a  recession  of  evangelistic  zeal  and  fervor,  it  may 
be  merely  the  forerunner  of  another  of  those  great  re- 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


137 


vivals  of  religion  such  as  marked  the  eighteenth  cen¬ 
tury.  In  any  case,  it  is  no  evidence  that  the  gospel  is 
inadequate  for  the  salvation  of  the  world,  or  that  an 
entirely  different  dispensation  must  be  established  under 
the  bodily  presence  and  rule  of  the  returned  Lord. 
That  an  enormous  amount  of  evangelizing  work  is  yet 
to  be  done  before  the  world  will  be  saved  is  recognized 
by  all  intelligent  Christians.  This  is  no  reason  for 
decrying  the  gospel.  It  is  a  trumpet  call  of  God  for  a 
deeper  consecration  and  more  self-denying  service  of 
Christ  on  the  part  of  all  Christians.  If  the  churches 
of  the  world  will  conform  more  perfectly  to  the  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  gospel,  the  leaven  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
implanted  in  this  world  by  the  lowly  Nazarene,  will  con¬ 
tinue  its  leavening  work  until  the  whole  lump  is  leavened. 

This  truth,  of  the  early  teaching  and  parables  of 
Jesus,  was  strongly  emphasized  by  Him  after  His  resur¬ 
rection.  In  His  conversations  with  His  disciples  in 
which  He  prepared  them  for  the  great  work  of  world 
evangelization  committed  unto  them,  we  have  the  last 
words  of  Jesus  on  this  subject. 

Then  opened  He  their  understanding,  that  they  might 
understand  the  scriptures,  and  said  unto  them,  “  Thus  it  is 
written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead  the  third  day:  and  that  repentance  and  re¬ 
mission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all 
nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  And  ye  are  witnesses  of 
these  things/’  (Luke  24:45—47.) 

Just  before  the  ascension  He  said,  “  Ye  shall  receive 
power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you: 
and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and 
in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth.”  (Acts  9:8.)  Then  we  have  the 
great  commission  which  is  given  in  a  slightly  different 


138  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


language  by  the  evangelists,  Matthew  and  Mark.  One 
gives  the  general  statement,  the  other  is  more  indi¬ 
vidual.  Matthew  records  it,  “  All  power  is  given  unto 
me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go,  ye,  therefore,  and  make 
disciples  of  all  nations.”  (Matt.  28:18,  19,  R.  V.) 
Mark,  “  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature.”  (Mark  16: 15.) 

The  explanation  that  Jesus  did  not  intend  that  every 
person  would  accept  the  gospel,  or  that  the  whole  world 
would  be  converted,  but  only  that  66  the  gospel  should 
be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  testimony  of  Him  ” 
as  a  justification  of  the  millennial  view  that  the  gospel 
was  not  intended  for  the  world’s  salvation  is  too  flimsy 
a  subterfuge  for  serious  consideration.  The  clear  and 
unmistakable  meaning  of  the  language  of  Jesus  is 
that  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  every  creature  is  a 
distinct  divine  call  to  repentance  and  salvation.  That 
this  is  the  divine  purpose  of  the  gospel  is  certainly  es¬ 
tablished  in  the  charge,  “  Make  disciples  of  all  nations.” 
If  any  who  hear  refuse  to  repent  and  obey  the  gospel, 
“  their  blood  is  upon  their  own  heads.”  If  any  who 
are  sent  fail  to  present  a  true  testimony  of  the  gospel, 
they  have  to  give  an  account  of  their  stewardship  unto 
God. 

This  divine  commission  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  teaching  and  predictions  of  the  law  and  prophets. 
The  only  conclusion,  therefore,  is  that  the  objective  of 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  complete  evangeliza¬ 
tion  of  all  nations,  by  the  preaching  of  the  Word  to 
every  creature  even  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth.  It  was  under  the  obligation  and  inspiration  of 
this  divine  commission  that  Paul  wrote,  “  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  for  it  is  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth;  to  the 


The  Purpose  of  the  Gospel 


139 


Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Gentiles.”  (Rom.  1:16.) 

The  scriptures  certainly  make  it  clear  that  it  is  God’s 
plan  for  the  church  to  evangelize  the  world  the  faith¬ 
ful  preaching  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus.  He  said,  44  Ye  are 
the  salt  of  the  earth.”  44  Ye  are  the  light  of  the 
world.”  (Matt.  5:13,  14.) 

Dr.  S.  D.  Gordon  in  one  of  his  Quiet  Talks  repre¬ 
sents  the  angel  Gabriel  talking  with  the  Master  over  the 
world’s  salvation.  Gabriel  says : 

44  Master,  you  died  for  the  whole  world,  down  there, 
did  you  not?  ” 

The  Master  replies,  44  Yes.” 

44  And  do  they  all  know  about  it  ?  ” 

44  Oh,  no :  Only  a  few  in  Palestine  know  about  it  so 
far.” 

44  Well,  Master,  what’s  your  plan?  What  have  you 
done  about  telling  the  world  that  You  died  for  them? 
What’s  your  plan?  ” 

44  Well,  I  asked  Peter  and  James,  and  John  and  An¬ 
drew,  and  some  more  of  them  down  there,  just  to  make 
it  the  business  of  their  lives  to  tell  others,  and  others 
still,  until  the  last  man  in  the  farthest  circle  has  heard 
the  story  and  felt  the  thrilling  and  thralling  of  it.” 

And  Gabriel  answers,  with  a  sort  of  hesitating  re¬ 
luctance  as  if  he  could  see  difficulties  in  the  working 
of  the  plan :  — 

44  Yes,  but — suppose  Peter  fails.  Suppose  after  a 
while  John  simply  does  not  tell  others.  Suppose  their 
descendants,  the  successors  away  off  in  the  first  edge 
of  the  twentieth  century,  get  so  busy  about  things  that 
they  do  not  tell  others.  What  then  ?  ” 

And  back  comes  that  quiet  voice  of  Jesus : 

44  Gabriel,  I  haven’t  made  any  other  plans  —  I’m 
counting  on  them.” 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  FULNESS  OF  THE  GENTILES 

THE  relation  of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  forms  a  very  interesting  and  illuminat¬ 
ing  topic  of  study.  Under  the  Mosaic  economy,  the 
lines  of  racial  and  religious  distinctions  were  closely 
drawn  and  rigidly  observed.  The  times  and  conditions 
demanded  this  insulation  of  Israel  to  preserve  the  true 
faith.  Was  that  insulation  intended  to  be  an  eternal 
provision,  or  simply  a  temporary  expedient?  Accord¬ 
ing  to  the  millennial  scheme,  the  Jews  must  be  preserved 
as  a  separate  and  distinct  people,  throughout  both  the 
gospel  and  millennial  ages.  There  is  nothing  definite 
beyond  the  millennial  period,  but  the  inference  is  that 
this  distinction  must  continue  eternally.  It  is  not  in 
the  divine  plan  that  they  should  be  converted  by  the 
gospel.  Now  they  are  dispersed  among  all  nations,  and 
must  remain  in  this  scattered  condition  until  the  end 
of  the  gospel  dispensation.  But  when  Jesus  comes 
again  to  establish  His  millennial  kingdom,  they  will  be 
gathered  together  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth 
and  re-organized  under  their  old  national  banners. 
They  will  be  exclusive  proprietors  of  the  Holy  Land, 
with  rebuilt  Jerusalem  as  their  capital  city  and  the 
world  metropolis  and  the  returned  Messiah  as  their 
king,  occupying  the  restored  throne  of  David. 

This  gospel  age  is  66  the  times  of  the  Gentiles,” 
that  is,  during  this  gospel  dispensation,  the  world  is 
being  ruled  by  Gentile  kings,  in  the  absence  of  Jesus 

from  the  earth.  These  times  began  when  Nebuchad- 

140 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles  141 

nezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  destroyed  Jerusalem,  and  took 
the  Jews  into  captivity.  The  millennialists  are  not 
agreed  as  to  the  exact  beginning.  Some  claim  that  it 
was  when  king  Zedekiah  was  taken  captive,  while  others 
insist  that  the  exact  date  of  beginning  was  when  Je- 
hoiachim  was  taken  to  Babylon.  Whichever  date  is 
taken,  according  to  millennial  reckoning,  44  the  fulness 
of  the  Gentiles  ”  has  been  reached,  therefore  the  millen¬ 
nial  kingdom  of  God  must  be  at  hand.  They  also  dis¬ 
cover  many  signs  of  the  times,  agreeable  to  their  mathe¬ 
matics  and  logic,  that  44  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be 
fulfilled,”  that  this  age  is  closing,  and  Jesus  is  coming 
immediately  to  dethrone  the  Gentile  kings,  and  establish 
His  glorious  millennial  reign. 

In  former  chapters  we  have  reviewed  the  millennial 
theories  of  44  the  throne  of  David, ”  and  the  thousand 
year  reign  of  Jesus.  We  have  shown  that  their  scrip¬ 
ture  proof-texts  do  not  justify  their  conclusions,  and 
their  interpretations  seriously  detract  from  the  glory 
and  power  of  Jesus,  to  44  save  his  people  from  their 
sins.”  (Matt.  1 :  21.)  It  is  not  necessary  to  examine 
the  44  signs  of  the  times  ”  by  which  these  prophetic  in¬ 
terpreters  attempt  to  prove  that  these  are  44  the  last 
days.”  Suffice  it  to  note  that  these  44  signs  of  the 
times  ”  have  been  doing  duty  for  over  a  thousand  years, 
and  the  passing  centuries  have  repeatedly  disproved 
them,  and  shown  their  advocates  to  be  false  prophets. 
Of  course  they  give  a  long  array  of  scripture  texts  to 
support  their  contentions,  but  from  generation  to  gen¬ 
eration,  they  have  to  do  a  great  deal  of  recasting  argu¬ 
ments,  re-adjusting  proof  texts,  and  explaining,  be¬ 
cause  their  predictions  of  44  times  and  seasons  ”  have 
not  materialized.  All  this  raises  serious  doubts  con¬ 
cerning  the  basis  and  accuracy  of  their  calculations, 


142  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


their  ability  to  read  correctly  “  the  signs  of  the  times,” 
notwithstanding  their  loudly  acclaimed  special  divine 
illuminations. 

In  our  study  of  the  scriptures,  we  must  remember, 
that  they  are  cast  in  Hebrew  thought  and  manner  of 
expression.  The  racial  and  national  characteristics 
and  peculiarities  of  the  Jews  predominate.  The  proph¬ 
ets  setting  forth  the  glories  of  the  coming  Messiah  and 
His  triumphs,  featured  the  whole  as  the  triumphs  and 
glories  of  Israel.  Consequently,  later  generations,  giv¬ 
ing  these  predictions  a  purely  national  and  material  in¬ 
terpretation,  were  led  to  expect  the  political  restora¬ 
tion  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  under  the  Messiah,  and 
when  this  was  not  realized,  they  quickly  concluded  that 
the  claims  of  Jesus  were  sufficient  evidence  that  He  was 
an  impostor.  As  we  now  study  these  prophecies  in  the 
light  of  gospel  history,  we  can  see  how  the  Jews  made 
their  disastrous  mistake  by  taking  literally  the  highly 
figurative  imagery  of  the  prophets.  The  aim  of  the 
prophets  was  to  reclaim  their  people  from  idolatry,  and 
inspire  them  to  loyal  devotion  to  the  God  of  Israel. 
While  in  attempting  this,  they  featured  the  national 
triumphs  under  the  Messiah  and  included  the  Gentiles 
in  all  the  blessings  of  the  new  state,  they  foresaw  the 
happy  union  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  under  the  standard 
of  Christ,  and  the  “  golden  age  ”  when  “  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  will  fill  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.” 

The  questions  now  before  us  are:  Was  it  the  plan 
and  purpose  of  God  to  keep  the  Jews  distinct  from  the 
Gentiles  through  all  dispensations?  Is  the  fact  that 
for  two  thousand  years  the  Jews  have  remained  a  dis¬ 
tinct  people  proof  that  God  ordained  it  so,  in  order  to 
have  them  a  separate  and  exalted  people  in  a  coming 
dispensation?  Is  it  the  design  of  God  in  a  coming  age 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


143 


to  bring  the  Jews  into  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  distinct 
race  and  irrespective  of  faith  and  character  to  exalt 
them  above  their  Gentile  brethren,  and  compel  Jew  and 
Gentile  to  assume  the  relative  positions  in  the  new  age 
that  they  occupied  under  the  Mosaic  economy  ? 

All  are  agreed  that  the  Hebrews  were  the  chosen 
people  of  God.  To  them  were  44  committed  the  oracles 
of  God.”  (Rom.  3:2.)  Through  them,  the  pure  prin¬ 
ciples  of  religion  were  preserved,  and  the  revelations  of 
God  were  developed  until,  44  the  fulness  of  time  was 
come,  God  sent  forth  His  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made 
under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that  were  under  the 
law  that  they  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons.” 
(Gal.  4:4,  5.)  This  election  of  Israel,  however,  was 
provisional,  and  preparatory  to  the  fulness  of  time  when 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  would  be  given  to  the  whole  world, 
and  all  nations  would  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
true  God.  The  provisional  character  of  the  Mosaic 
economy  is  clearly  and  convincingly  explained  in  the 
Epistles  to  the  Romans,  Galatians,  and  Hebrews.  A 
discussion  of  the  reasons  for  electing  Israel  for  a  spe¬ 
cial  people,  and  so  providentially  preserving  them 
through  the  centuries  until  Christ  came  to  fulfil  the  law 
and  the  prophets,  does  not  come  within  the  range  of 
the  present  work.  We  simply  note  the  fact  in  passing 
that  the  whole  situation  might  be  before  us. 

The  divine  purpose  in  calling  Abraham  and  preserv¬ 
ing  his  seed  was  not  to  establish  and  develop  a  political 
kingdom,  but  to  bring  the  people  of  the  world  under  the 
moral  government  of  God.  The  development  of  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  was  not  designed  and  inspired  by 
God.  It  resulted  from  the  people’s  perversity,  and  con¬ 
trary  to  the  divine  will.  The  people  were  ambitious  to 
have  a  king,  and  be  like  the  surrounding  nations.  This 


144  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


was  a  rejection  of  God  and  the  theocracy.  One  of  the 
unfortunate  results  of  the  organization  of  the  kingdom 
was  the  development  of  national  pride  and  racial  preju¬ 
dice.  Of  course,  the  Mosaic  economy  insulated  the 
Israelites  by  prohibiting  intermarriage  with  idolatrous 
nations.  This  was  a  wise  provision  to  preserve  the 
purity  of  their  religious  faith  and  worship.  The  aim 
and  purpose  of  God  as  revealed  in  the  ritual  of  Leviti¬ 
cus  and  the  discourses  of  Deuteronomy  were  to  build 
up  a  people  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  that 
through  them  salvation  might  come  unto  the  whole 
world. 

Back  of  the  Mosaic  economy  is  the  Abrahamic  Cove¬ 
nant  which  formed  its  ground  work.  This  Covenant 
with  Abraham  was  not  national  or  racial.  It  included 
all  nations.  When  God  called  Abram  out  of  Haran, 
He  said,  46  And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and 
curse  him  that  curseth  thee:  and  in  thee  shall  all  the 
families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.”  (Gen.  12:3.)  As 
the  covenant  promise  developed,  God  said  repeatedly, 
“  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed.”  (Gen.  18:18;  22:18;  and  26:4.)  Peter, 
when  preaching  in  the  temple,  quotes  this  prediction  as 
giving  the  sweep  of  the  covenant  promises  to  be  fulfilled 
in  Christ  the  Prophet  like  unto  Moses,  saying,  44  Ye 
are  the  children  of  the  prophets,  and  of  the  covenants 
which  God  made  with  our  fathers,  saying  unto  Abra¬ 
ham,  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth 
be  blessed.”  (Acts  3 :  22-25.)  Paul  in  his  epistle  to 
the  Gentile  Galatians  gives  a  detailed  exposition  of  these 
covenant  promises,  and  how  they  were  being  fulfilled  to 
the  nations  by  their  conversion  through  faith  in  Jesus, 
44  even  as  Abraham  believed  God  and  it  was  accounted 
to  him  for  righteousness.  .  .  .  And  the  Scriptures  fore- 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles  145 

seeing  that  God  would  justify  the  heathen  through 
faith,  preached  before  the  gospel  unto  Abraham,  say¬ 
ing,  4  In  thee  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed ;  so  then  they  which  are  of  faith  are  blessed  with 
faithful  Abraham.’  ”  (Gal.  3:  6,  8,  9.)  He  proceeds 
to  show  how  Christ  fulfilled  the  promise,  44  That  the 
blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  on  the  Gentiles 
through  Jesus  Christ.  .  .  .  He  saith  not,  and  to  seeds 
as  of  many;  but  as  of  one,  and  to  thy  seed  which  is 

Christ.”  (Gal.  3:14,  16.) 

The  covenant  promises  make  no  distinctions  between 
the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles  in  their  relations  to  salva¬ 
tion  through  faith.  44  For  the  promise  that  he  should 
be  the  heir  of  the  world  was  not  made  to  Abraham  or 
to  his  seed,  through  the  law,  but  through  the  righteous¬ 
ness  of  faith.”  (Rom.  3:13-17.) 

We  turn  to  the  prophets,  and  find  that  their  visions 
of  the  blessings  of  the  Messiah’s  kingdom  were  to  come 
alike  upon  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles.  This  is  pre¬ 
eminently  true  of  the  predictions  of  Isaiah,  the  Messi¬ 
anic  prophet.  A  few  representative  passages  are  suf¬ 
ficient  to  indicate  the  line  of  research.  In  a  most  glow¬ 
ing  description  of  the  offices  of  Christ  in  the  gospel 
dispensation,  the  prophet  is  inspired  to  say, 

“  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold ;  mine  elect  in 
whom  my  soul  delighteth ;  I  have  put  my  spirit  upon 
him:  he  shall  bring  judgment  unto  the  Gentiles.”  (Isa. 
42:1.)  It  is  to  be  noted  that  judgment  in  this  place 
means  44  the  law  to  be  published  by  Messiah,  the  institu¬ 
tion  of  the  gospel,”  and  is  equivalent  to  44  he  shall  bring 
salvation  to  the  Gentiles.”  This  interpretation  is  vin¬ 
dicated  by  verse  six,  44 1  the  Lord  have  called  thee  in 
righteousness,  and  will  hold  thy  hand,  and  will  keep 
thee,  and  will  give  thee  for  a  covenant  to  the  people,  for 


146  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


a  light  to  the  Gentiles.”  (Isa.  4£:  6.)  And  again  He 
said,  44  It  is  a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  my 
servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  to  restore 
the  preserved  of  Israel :  I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light 
to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto 
the  end  of  the  earth.”  (Isa.  49:  6.)  Study  carefully 
this  prediction.  44  Arise,  shine ;  for  thy  light  is  come, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee.  For,  be¬ 
hold  the  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross  dark¬ 
ness  the  people ;  but  the  Lord  shall  rise  upon  thee,  and 
His  glory  shall  be  seen  upon  thee.  And  the  Gentiles 
shall  come  to  thy  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of 
thy  rising.  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about,  and  see: 
All  they  gather  themselves  together,  they  come  to  thee : 
thy  sons  shall  come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters  shall 
be  nursed  at  thy  side.  Then  shalt  thou  see  and  flow 
together,  and  thine  heart  shall  fear,  and  be  enlarged; 
because  the  abundance  of  the  sea  shall  be  converted  unto 
thee,  the  forces  of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  unto  thee.” 
(Isa.  60:1—5.) 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  is  the  great  increase  and 
the  flourishing  condition  of  the  church  of  God  by  the 
conversion  and  accession  of  the  heathen  nations.  This 
subject  is  displayed  in  the  most  splendid  colours  under 
a  great  number  of  images  highly  poetical,  and  sets  forth 
the  triumphs  of  the  gospel  and  the  perfecting  of  the 
church  of  God.  Jesus  and  the  faithful  worshippers  of 
God  saw  in  the  gospels  the  fulfilment  of  these  prophe¬ 
cies.  When  the  parents  of  Jesus  brought  Him  into  the 
temple  for  circumcision,  the  aged  Simeon  44  took  Him 
up  in  his  arms  and  blessed  God  and  said,  4  Lord,  now 
lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace  according  to 
thy  word :  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,  which 
thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people;  a 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


147 


light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  peo¬ 
ple  Israel.’  ”  (Luke  2  :28-32.)  When  the  Jews  cre¬ 
ated  a  disturbance  in  the  synagogue  in  Antioch  in 
Psidia,  Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed  bold,  and  said,  “  It 
is  necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should  first  have  been 
spoken  unto  you:  but  seeing  you  put  it  from  you,  and 
judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  eternal  life,  lo,  we  turn 
to  the  Gentiles.  For  so  hath  the  Lord  commanded  us, 
saying,  6 1  have  set  thee  to  be  a  light  of  the  Gentiles, 
that  thou  shouldst  be  for  salvation  unto  the  ends  of 
the  earth.’”  (Acts  13:46,  47.)  When  a  prisoner 
in  Rome,  Paul  preached  the  gospel  to  all  who  came  unto 
him.  (i  He  expounded  and  testified  the  kingdom  of 
God,  persuading  them  concerning  Jesus,  both  out  of 
the  law  of  Moses,  and  out  of  the  prophets  from  morning 
until  evening.”  When  some  of  the  Jews  believed  not  he 
recalled  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  and  added,  “  Be  it 
known,  therefore,  unto  you,  that  the  salvation  of  God 
is  sent  to  the  Gentiles  and  they  will  hear  it.”  (Acts 
28 : 23-28, ) 

The  intense  prejudices  of  the  Jews  against  the  Gen¬ 
tiles  are  well  known.  These  were  so  deeply  imbedded 
in  the  Jewish  mind  and  sentiment,  that  in  spite  of  the 
divine  commission,  the  apostles,  being  loyal  Jews,  could 
not  condescend  to  go  to  the  nations  with  the  gospel  of 
light  and  salvation.  At  Pentecost  and  after,  the  whole 
thought  and  attention  of  the  apostles  were  occupied 
with  ministering  to  the  Jews.  Even  when  an  urgent 
call  for  instruction  came  from  the  Roman  centurion 
Cornelius,  it  required  a  special  and  startling  revelation, 
to  enable  Peter  to  break  through  the  entanglements  of 
Judaism,  and  minister  unto  this  devout  proselyte  to 
the  worship  of  the  true  God.  (Acts  10.)  He  had  to 
learn,  that  he  whom  God  had  cleansed  is  not  common 


148  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


or  unclean.  When  Peter  reached  the  home  of  Cornelius 
and  heard  his  stirring  experience,  so  completely  in  har¬ 
mony  with  his  own  vision,  he  realized  the  sweep  of  the 
divine  commission,  44  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature,”  and  he  said,  44  I  perceive  of 
a  truth  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons ;  but  in 
every  nation  he  that  feareth  God  and  worketh  right¬ 
eousness  is  accepted  of  him.”  (Acts  10  :  34,  35.)  But 
this  break  with  Jewish  prejudice  raised  a  strong  pro¬ 
test  from  his  brethren  at  Jerusalem,  and  he  was  called 
upon  to  appear  before  the  church,  and  explain  his  ir¬ 
regular  conduct.  They  of  the  circumcision  were  so 
incensed  over  this  pollution  of  the  life  of  the  church 
that  they  contended  with  him,  and  preferred  the  serious 
charge : 

44  Thou  wentest  in  to  men  uncircumcised  and  didst 
eat  with  them.”  (Acts  11:3.)  Peter  met  their 
charge  frankly  and  44  rehearsed  the  matter  from,  the  be¬ 
ginning,  and  expounded  it  by  order  unto>  them,”  closing 
with  this  silencing  challenge :  44  Forasmuch,  then,  as 

God  gave  them  the  like  gift  as  he  did  us,  who  believed 
on  the  Lord  J esus  Christ ;  what  was  I  that  I  could  with¬ 
stand  God?  When  they  heard  these  things,  they  held 
their  peace  and  glorified  God,  saying,  4  Then  hath  God 
also  to  the  Gentiles  granted  repentance  unto  life.’  ” 
(Acts  11:17,  18.) 

The  next  great  event  preparatory  to  the  fulness  of 
the  Gentiles  was  the  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  and 
his  call  to  be  44  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles.”  He  gave 
the  explicit  terms  of  this  divine  commission  in  the  ac¬ 
count  of  his  conversion  given  to  King  Agrippa.  He 
said,  44  And  I  said,  4  Who  art  thou,  Lord?’  And  He 
said,  4 1  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.  But  rise, 
and  stand  upon  thy  feet ;  for  I  have  appeared  unto  thee 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


149 


for  this  purpose,  to  make  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness 
both  of  these  things  which  I  have  seen,  and  of  those 
things  in  thee  which  I  will  appear  unto  thee ;  delivering 
thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom 
now  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  turn  them 
from  darkness  to  light  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  to 
God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and 
inheritance  among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith 
that  is  in  me.’  ”  (Acts  26: 15—18.) 

It  was  in  the  Gentile  city  of  Antioch  that  Paul  and 
Barnabas  were  formally  ordained  to  missionary  work 
(Acts  13:  1-3),  and  from  which  they  set  out  on  their 
great  missionary  tours  among  the  Gentiles.  But  strong 
opposition  developed  against  admitting  the  Gentiles 
into  the  full  privileges  of  the  Christian  communion 
without  circumcision.  That  is,  a  strong  section  of  the 
disciples  contended  that  the  Gentile  converts  must  be¬ 
come  really  Jews  before  they  could  be  saved  and  enjoy 
the  covenant  blessings.  This  was  the  first  great  con¬ 
troversy  that  divided  the  Christian  church  into  con¬ 
tending  parties.  So  great  was  the  dissension  and  dis¬ 
putation  in  Antioch,  created  by  some  men  who  46  came 
down  from  Judea,”  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  sent 
to  Jerusalem  to  consult  with  the  other  Apostles,  and  a 
general  council  was  called  to  consider  the  matter. 
44  When  there  had  been  much  disputing,  Peter  rose  up, 
and  said  unto  them: 

Men  and  brethren,  ye  know  how  that  a  good  while  ago 
God  made  choice  among  us,  that  the  Gentiles  by  my  mouth 
should  hear  the  word  of  the  gospel  and  believe.  And  God 
which  knoweth  the  hearts  bear  them  witness,  giving  them 
the  Holy  Ghost  even  as  He  did  unto  us;  and  put  no  dif¬ 
ference  between  us  and  them,  purifying  their  hearts  by 
faith.  Now,  therefore,  why  tempt  ye  God,  to  put  a  yoke 
upon  the  neck  of  the  disciples  which  neither  our  fathers 


150  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


nor  we  are  able  to  bear  ?  But  we  believe  that  through  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  we  shall  be  saved  even  as 
they.  Then  all  the  multitude  kept  silence  and  gave  audi¬ 
ence  to  Paul  and  Barnabas  declaring  what  miracles  and 
wonders  God  had  wrought  among  the  Gentiles  by  them. 
(Acts.  15:6—12.) 

In  this  discussion  of  the  relation  of  the  Jews  and 
Gentiles  to  the  kingdom  of  God  under  the  gospel  of 
Jesus,  there  is  no  question  of  political  organization  or 
rule.  It  was  purely  a  question  of  religious  rights  and 
liberties.  The  decision  of  the  council  was  that  God 
had  put  no  difference  between  the  Jews  and  the  Gen¬ 
tiles,  but  had  received  both  into  His  kingdom  on  equal 
terms  of  faith  and  repentance,  where  they  enjoyed  equal 
privileges,  without  the  Gentiles  having  to  submit  to  cir¬ 
cumcision  and  the  ritualistic  observances  of  Judaism. 
This  decision  brings  into  bold  relief  the  fact  that  the 
Mosaic  law  and  covenant  of  the  wilderness  and  the  sub¬ 
sequent  political  organization,  were  only  provisional, 
had  become  effete,  and  were  abolished  by  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  and  the  kingdom  of  heaven  which  they  fore¬ 
shadowed.  Here  we  get  the  point  of  distinction  be¬ 
tween  the  old  and  new  covenants,  so  discriminatingly 
discussed  and  clearly  defined  in  the  Epistle  to  the  He¬ 
brews.  It  is  a  very  common  mistake  to  think  of  the 
Old  covenant  as  contrasted  with  the  New,  as  the  entire 
Old  Testament,  including  the  ancient  covenants  with 
Abraham  and  the  Patriarchs.  A  more  careful  reading 
will  show  that  it  was  the  Mosaic  Covenant  of  the  Wil¬ 
derness,  the  law  of  ordinances  that  gave  place  to  the 
new  or  gospel  covenant.  (Compare  Heb.  9  with  Ex. 
24:3-8.)  When  this  provisional  covenant  was  ful¬ 
filled  in  Christ,  the  gracious  promises  of  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  came  into  full  view.  This  was  the  basis  of 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


151 


Paul’s  theology  as  he  explained  in  his  epistles  to  the  Ro¬ 
mans  and  Galatians.  Even  circumcision  was  a  pro¬ 
visional  rite  in  its  outward  administration,  but  everlast¬ 
ing  in  its  internal  and  spiritual  symbolism.  The  uni¬ 
versal  provision  of  salvation  by  faith,  preceded  circum¬ 
cision,  its  sign  and  symbol.  Abraham  was  justified  by 
faith.  He  64  believed  God  and  it  was  accounted  unto 
him  for  righteousness.”  (Rom.  4:  3.)  There  has  been 
no  change  in  this  condition  and  principle  of  salvation. 
Under  the  gospel,  44  All  that  believe  are  justified  from 
all  things,  from  which  they  could  not  be  justified  by 
the  law  of  Moses.”  (Acts  13:39.)  The  identity  of 
the  Abrahamic  and  gospel  covenant  is  established, 
for  under  both,  salvation  was  by  grace  not  by  the 
works  of  the  law,  or  the  ritualistic  observances.  Thus 
44  the  promise,  that  he  should  be  the  heir  of  the  world, 
was  not  to  Abraham,  or  his  seed,  through  the  law,  but 
through  the  righteousness  of  faith.”  (Rom.  4:13.) 
44  Therefore,  it  is  of  faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace ; 
to  the  end  that  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the 
seed;  not  to  that  only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that 
also  which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham;  who  is  the  father 
of  us  all.  (As  it  is  written,  I  have  made  thee  a  father 
of  many  nations)  before  (margin,  like  unto)  him  whom 
he  believed,  even  God,  who  quickeneth  the  dead,  and 
calleth  those  things  that  be  not  as  though  they  were.” 
(Rom.  4:  17.)  The  ceremonial  law,  or  Mosaic  Cove¬ 
nant,  that  came  between  the  Abrahamic  Covenant  and 
the  fulness  of  the  gospel  in  Jesus,  did  not  annul  or 
modify  this  ancient  gospel  promise  to  the  world.  Paul 
is  at  considerable  pains  to  explain  this.  He  said: 

Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being 
made  a  curse  for  us ;  for  it  is  written  “  cursed  is  every  one 
that  hangeth  on  a  tree  ” :  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham 


15£ 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


might  come  on  the  Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ;  that  we 
might  receive  the  promise  of  the  spirit  through  faith. 
Brethren,  I  speak  after  the  manner  of  men ;  though  it  be 
but  a  man’s  covenant,  yet  if  it  be  confirmed,  no  man  dis¬ 
annul  eth  or  addeth  thereto.  Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed 
were  the  promises  made.  He  saith  not,  and  to  seeds  as  of 
many;  but  as  of  one,  and  to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ. 
And  this  I  say  that  the  covenant,  that  was  confirmed  before 
of  God  in  Christ,  the  law,  which  was  four  hundred  and 
thirty  years  after,  cannot  disannul,  that  it  should  make  the 
promise  of  none  effeet.  For  if  the  inheritance  be  of  the 
law,  it  is  no  more  promise;  but  God  gave  it  to  Abraham  by 
promise.  (Gal.  3:13—18.) 

These  scriptures  make  it  sufficiently  clear  that  there 
are  not  two  gospels,  one  for  the  circumcision  and  one 
for  the  uncircumcision,  as  some  millennialists  contend. 
There  is  one  gospel  for  Jews  and  Gentiles  universal 
both  in  its  principles  and  in  application,  and  this  gos¬ 
pel  was  confirmed  by  God  to  Abraham  when  He  prom¬ 
ised,  “  In  thee  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed.” 

It  is  true  that  Paul  speaks  of  the  gospel  of  uncir¬ 
cumcision  being  committed  unto  him,  and  the  gospel  of 
circumcision  being  committed  to  Peter.  (Gal.  8:7.) 
He,  however,  could  not  possibly  mean  that  there  were 
two  distinct  gospels,  or  that  there  was  one  set  of  con¬ 
ditions  for  salvation  for  the  Jews,  and  another  for  the 
Gentiles,  because  all  his  teaching  and  work  was  a  pro¬ 
test  against  such  a  racial  discrimination.  He  was  sim¬ 
ply  emphasizing  the  fact  of  his  divine  call  and  apostle- 
ship  to  the  Gentiles,  and  he  refers  to  the  Jerusalem 
Council  where  the  relations  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  were  finally  settled  as  far  as  he  was 
concerned.  The  Apostles  and  elders  were  also  satis¬ 
fied  that  God  put  no  difference  between  them.  Paul 
meant,  he  was  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  while  Peter’s 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


153 


ministry  was  to  the  Jews  of  the  dispersion.  Yet  Peter 
was  the  spokesman  at  the  Jerusalem  council  who  con¬ 
vinced  the  Apostles  and  elders  that  both  Jews  and  Gen¬ 
tiles  were  received  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  the 
same  condition  of  faith. 

It  is  admitted  that  there  is  a  noticeable  difference  be¬ 
tween  Peter’s  presentation  of  the  gospel  to  the  Jews, 
and  Paul’s  preaching  to  the  Gentiles.  But  there  is  a 
similar  difference  between  Peter’s  sermons  to  the  Jews, 
and  his  sermon  to  Cornelius  and  his  friends.  We  also 
note  a  marked  difference  in  Paul’s  discourses  at  differ¬ 
ent  times  to  different  people.  This  must  of  necessity 
be  so  in  all  true  gospel  preaching,  because  different  peo¬ 
ples  of  diverse  religious  systems  and  degrees  of  intel¬ 
lectual  attainments  have  to  be  approached  and  taught 
in  different  ways  to  get  them  to  accept  the  same  truths. 
For  instance,  Paul’s  sermon  on  Mars  Hill,  to  the  philo¬ 
sophical  Athenians,  is  very  different  from  his  sermon  to 
the  heathen  worshippers  of  Jupiter  at  Lystra.  (Acts 
17 :  16-31 ;  Acts  14: 15-18.)  The  difference  is  not  in 
principle  but  in  the  phase  of  truth,  best  suited  to  the 
occasion  and  the  methods  of  presentation,  and  get  the 
right  point  of  contact  and  lead  the  people  unto  repent¬ 
ance  toward  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  great  mistake  of  those  who  discover  irreconcilable 
differences  between  Peter  and  Paul,  is  in  taking  frag¬ 
ments  of  truth  and  treating  them  as  if  they  were  the 
whole,  and  making  artificial  distinctions  that  were  never 
intended. 

Peter  and  Paul  are  perfectly  agreed  that  under  the 
gospel  of  Jesus,  “  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons  ” 
(Acts  10:34)  and  He  “hath  put  no  difference  be¬ 
tween”  (Acts  15:9)  the  Jew  and  the  Gentile,  “For 
the  same  Lord  over  all  is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon 


154*  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


him.”  (Rom.  10:11,  IS.)  The  racial  exclusiveness  of 
the  Jews  had  to  give  way  before  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus,  and  all  men  everywhere  were  put  on  a 
common  level  before  God.  In  this,  66  the  righteousness 
of  God  without  the  law  is  manifest,  being  witnessed  by 
the  law  and  the  prophets ;  even  the  righteousness  of  God 
which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all 
that  believe ;  for  there  is  no  difference :  for  all  have  sinned 
and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.”  (Rom.  3:21— 
23.)  Therefore,  God  <£  now  commandeth  all  men  every¬ 
where  to  repent.”  (Acts  17 :  30.)  The  breaking  down 
of  the  distinctions  between  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  main¬ 
tained  under  the  old  Mosaic  covenant  is  very  lucidly 
and  forcefully  expounded  by  Paul  in  this  language, 
“  Wherefore  remember  that  ye  being  in  times  past  Gen¬ 
tiles  in  the  flesh,  who  are  called  uncircumcision  by  that 
which  is  called  the  circumcision  in  the  flesh  made  by 
hands ;  that  at  that  time  ye  were  without  Christ,  being 
aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers 
from  the  covenants  of  promise,  having  no  hope  and 
without  God  in  the  world:  but  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye 
who  sometimes  were  far  off  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood 
of  Christ.  For  He  is  our  peace,  who  hath  made  both 
one,  and  hath  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition 
between  us;  having  abolished  in  His  flesh  the  enmity 
thereby:  and  came  and  preached  peace  to  you  which 
were  afar  off,  and  to  them  that  were  nigh.”  (Eph.  2 : 
11-17.)  Again,  while  urging  this  obliteration  of  all 
racial  and  national  distinctions  by  the  gospel  of  Jesus, 
Paul  says,  “  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized 
into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ.  There  is  neither  Jew 
nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is 
neither  male  nor  female:  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ 
Jesus.  And  if  ye  be  Christ’s  then  are  ye  Abraham’s 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


155 


seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise.”  (Gal. 
3:  £7-29.)  In  one  of  Paul’s  most  fervid  exhortations 
to  unity  and  good  will,  he  writes,  6i  But  now  ye  also  put 
off  all  these:  anger,  wrath,  malice,  blasphemy,  and  filthy 
communication  out  of  your  mouth.  Lie  not  one  to  an¬ 
other,  seeing  ye  have  put  off  the  old  man  with  his  deeds ; 
and  have  put  on  the  new  man  which  is  renewed  in  knowl¬ 
edge  after  Him  that  created  him :  where  there  is  neither 
Greek  nor  Jew,  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision,  Bar¬ 
barian,  Scythian,  bond  nor  free:  but  Christ  is  all 

and  in  all.”  (Col.  3:  8—11.) 

Any  theory  of  religion  or  interpretation  of  scripture 
that  attempts  to  break  through  this  unifying  principle 
of  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  and  keep  alive  the  old  racial  and 
national  distinctions  of  pre-gospel  times  grossly  per¬ 
verts  the  truth  of  God,  and  vainly  endeavors  to  turn 
aside  the  divine  purpose  as  revealed  in  Jesus.  The  mil¬ 
lennial  theory  that  makes  the  world’s  salvation  con¬ 
tingent  upon  the  maintainence  of  the  insulation  of  the 
Jews,  and  the  restoration  of  their  political  solidarity 
and  sovereign  glory,  is  seriously  at  variance  with  the 
plain  and  emphatic  teaching  of  the  scriptures. 

The  millennialists  urge  as  a  necessity  for  a  millen¬ 
nial  reign,  the  estranged  position  of  the  Jews.  They 
argue  that  the  Jews  have  been  cut  off  by  God  to  make 
way  for  the  salvation  of  the  Gentiles.  There  must  be 
a  change  of  dispensation,  and  the  Jews  restored  to 
their  own  land  before  they  can  be  saved.  This  change 
and  restoration  will  take  place  when  “  the  times  of  the 
Gentiles  are  fulfilled.”  This  period  they  interpret  as 
“  the  times  of  the  rule  of  the  Gentile  kings.”  But  when 
did  the  fiat  of  God  go  forth  closing  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  to  the  Jews  as  a  people?  Where  is  the  injunc¬ 
tion  to  be  found  prohibiting  the  salvation  of  the  Jews 


156  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


by  the  gospel  of  Jesus?  We  can  find  no  record  or  inti¬ 
mation  of  it  in  the  scriptures.  The  Jews  were  the 
chosen  people  of  God.  Jesus  was  a  Jew,  and  “  salva¬ 
tion  is  of  the  Jews.”  (John  4:22.)  All  the  apostles 
and  first  Christians  were  Jews.  The  Pentecostal  as¬ 
sembly  to  whom  the  full  gospel  was  first  preached  were 
Jews,  and  among  them  were  representatives  of  all  the 
dispersion.  Three  thousand  of  them  were  converted 
that  day  and  formed  the  first  Christian  Church.  Fol¬ 
lowing  the  Pentecostal  baptism  many  thousands  more 
were  baptized  and  added  to  the  church.  Nearly  thirty 
years  after  Pentecost,  Paul  returned  to  Jerusalem  after 
his  third  missionary  tour.  Trouble  was  brewing  and 
the  venom  of  the  people  was  focused  on  him  because  he 
preached  to  the  Gentiles  that  they  could  be  saved 
without  becoming  Jews.  The  Apostle  James  and  those 
associated  with  him  in  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  ad¬ 
vised  Paul  to  perform  his  vow  in  the  temple,  hoping 
this  would  allay  the  bitter  feelings,  and  the  suspicions 
of  the  Jewish  Christians  in  the  city.  In  urging  their 
reasons,  they  said,  “  Thou  seest,  brother,  how  many 
thousands  of  Jews  there  are  that  believe;  and  they  are 
all  zealous  of  the  law.”  (Acts  21 :  20.) 

Paul,  himself  a  Jew  of  the  purest  type,  always  recog¬ 
nized  the  priority  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
Jews.  In  his  missionary  tours  he  always,  in  every 
place,  sought  out  the  Jews  and  began  his  work  among 
them.  He  made  it  a  point  to  attend  the  Jewish  services 
in  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  and  speak  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  there.  When  there  were  not  enough  Jews  to  sup¬ 
port  a  synagogue  he  sought  out  the  few  Jewish  families, 
as  he  did  at  the  Roman  colony  of  Philippi  when  he 
went  out  to  the  riverside  on  the  Sabbath  to  worship 
with  the  few  women  assembled  for  prayer.  (Acts  16: 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


157 


13.)  Thus  the  Jews  formed  the  nucleus  of  practically 
every  Gentile  church.  The  apostolic  order  was,  “  to 
the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek.”  (Rom.  1 : 16.) 

The  only  intimations  of  the  Jews  being  shut  out  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  were  when  they  were  rebuked 
for  their  unbelief  and  the  rejection  of  the  gospel.  This 
was  not  a  wholesale  cutting  off  of  the  race,  but  a  matter 
of  individual  unbelief.  Take  for  instance,  the  case  in 
Antioch-Psidia  when  a  section  of  the  Jews,  incensed, 
because  Paul  put  the  Gentiles  on  an  equality  with  them, 
opposed  the  preaching  of  the  Apostles.  i6  Paul  and 
Barnabas  waxed  bold,  and  said,  4  It  was  necessary  that 
the  word  of  God  should  first  have  been  spoken  unto 
you:  but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you,  and  judge  your¬ 
selves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the 
Gentiles.”  (Acts  13:46.)  There  is  no  intimation 
that  God  had  cut  off  the  Jews  either  as  a  race  or  as 
individuals.  These  people  themselves  were  their  own 
judges,  and  judging  themselves  unworthy  of  everlast¬ 
ing  life,  put  the  word  of  God  away.  That  is,  the}' 
would  not  listen  to  it.  The  door  of  faith  was  open  just 
as  wide  to  these  Jews  as  to  the  Gentiles,  but  they  chose 
to  remain  in  unbelief.  Were,  then,  the  Jews,  as  such, 
disinherited  by  God,  and  so  excluded  from,  the  benefits 
and  blessings  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  that  there  is  no 
hope  for  their  salvation  under  the  gospel?  The  mil- 
lennialists  contend  that  they  were  so  disinherited  be¬ 
cause  they  rejected  Jesus,  the  Messiah  king,  and  cruci¬ 
fied  Him  as  a  malefactor.  But  if  this  were  so,  how  does 
it  happen  that  there  was  such  an  ingathering  of  Jews 
at  Pentecost  and  for  many  years  after?  The  very  fact 
that  the  first  gospel  work  was  by  and  among  the  Jews, 
absolutely  disproves  the  millennialist  contention.  The 
Jews  as  a  race  were  not  disinherited  because  of  the 


158 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


crime  of  Calvary.  The  possibility  of  divine  forgiveness 
was  extended  to  the  immediate  participants  in  that 
crime.  Jesus  from  the  cross  prayed,  44  Father,  forgive 
them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do.”  (Luke  SB :  34.) 
No  Jew  ever  was  denied  forgiveness  and  shut  out  of  the 
kingdom  because  of  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus.  That 
crucifixion  itself  opened  the  way  of  forgiveness  to  all 
Jews,  as  well  as  to  all  nations.  No  Jew  is  rejected  by 
God,  except  for  his  personal  unbelief.  Long  ago,  God 
disproved  the  proverb,  44  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour 
grapes,  and  the  children’s  teeth  are  set  on  edge.” 
(Ezek.  18:2.)  44  Yet  say  ye,  Why?  doth  not  the  son 

bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father?  When  the  son  hath 
done  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  and  hath  kept  all 
my  statutes,  and  hath  done  them,  he  shall  surely  live. 
The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die.  The  son  shall  not 
bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father,  neither  shall  the  father 
bear  the  iniquity  of  the  son:  the  righteousness  of  the 
righteous  shall  be  upon  him,  and  the  wickedness  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  upon  him.”  (Ezek.  18:  19,  20.)  But 
we  have  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy.  The  Lord 
Jesus  Himself  said,  44  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  Him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting 
life.  For  God  sent  not  His  son  into  the  world  to  con¬ 
demn  the  world ;  but  that  the  world  through  Him  might 
be  saved.  He  that  believeth  on  Him  is  not  condemned: 
but  He  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  alreadv,  because 
He  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten 
son  of  God.”  (John  '3: 16—18.) 

But  the  millennialists  claim  to  find  support  for  their 
contention  in  Paul’s  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  where  he 
speaks  of  the  natural  branches  (the  Jews)  being  broken 
off,  and  the  wild  olive  tree  ( the  Gentiles )  being  grafted 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


159 


in  among  them.  (Rom.  11.)  Did  the  apostle  mean 
that  the  Jews  as  a  race  were  cut  off  from  the  kingdom 
of  God,  so  that  they  could  not  believe  to  the  saving  of 
their  souls  ?  How  could  he  advance  such  a  theory  when 
he,  himself,  was  a  Jew  saved  by  grace,  who  constantly 
preached  the  gospel  of  salvation  to  the  Jews  and  saw 
multitudes  of  them  saved? 

Paul  is  simply  urging  the  fact  that  salvation  is  by 
faith  in  Jesus  for  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  both  are 
saved  on  the  same  conditions  and  principles.  This  is 
the  great  theme  of  the  epistle  which  he  states  at  the 
beginning  in  these  clear  and  forceful  terms,  44  h  or  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  :  for  it  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,  to  every  one  that  believeth ;  to 
the  Jew  first  and  also  to  the  Greek.”  (Rom.  1:16.) 
His  whole  argument  is  a  rigidly  logical  development  of 
this  theme,  and  every  statement  must  be  interpreted 
consistently  therewith.  Following  out  his  line  of  rea¬ 
soning,  he  had  to  deal  with  the  reprobate  Jews,  the 
disobedient  and  gainsaying  people.”  (Rom.  10:21.) 
This  raised  the  question  of  God’s  continuous  fidelity  to 
His  covenants,  and  he  conclusively  settles  it  thus,  I 
say,  then,  Hath  God  cast  away  his  people?  God  for¬ 
bid.  For  I  also  am  an  Israelite  of  the  seed  of  Abraham, 
of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  God  hath  not  cast  away 
His  people  which  He  foreknew.”  (Rom.  11:1,  2.) 
“  This  last  clause  is  a  condensed  syllogism  which  means, 
when  God  chose  this  nation,  He  chose  them  with  a  per¬ 
fect  knowledge  of  their  entire  history.  To  suppose 
that  now  He  cast  them  off  entirely  as  a  nation  would 
argue  fickleness  in  God.  Therefore  we  cannot  suppose 
that  God  has  cast  them  off.”  ( Handbook  on  Romans , 
Rev.  N.  Burwash.)  Paul  from  this  leads  up  to  the 
fall  of  the  Jews  and  its  relation  to  the  salvation  of  the 


160  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Gentiles,  and  shows  how  God  was  able  to  use  even  the 
fall  of  His  people,  for  His  own  glory  in  the  enrichment 
of  the  world.  “  For  if  out  of  the  circumstances  which 
brought  about  their  temporary  fall,  and  their  reduc¬ 
tion  to  a  mere  remnant,  God  has  brought  salvation  and 
riches  to  the  Gentiles,  what  might  have  been  the  result, 
and  what  yet  may  we  expect  when  the  whole  body  are 
found  working  into  God’s  purpose?  ”  (Ibid.)  But  it 
was  only  some  branches  and  not  the  whole  race  that  was 
broken  off.  Paul  said,  “  And  if  some  of  the  branches 
be  broken  off,  and  thou  being  a  wild  olive  tree,  wert 
grafted  in  among  them.”  (Rom.  11:7.)  This  is  true 
to  the  history  of  the  gospels.  It  was  only  the  unbeliev¬ 
ing  Jews  that  were  broken  off.  The  believing  Jews 
formed  the  living  tree  among  whose  branches  the  Gen¬ 
tiles  were  ingrafted. 

In  another  place,  Paul  emphasizes  the  same  truth 
under  the  figure  of  a  foundation.  Writing  to  the 
Gentile  Christians  at  Ephesus,  he  says,  “  Now,  there¬ 
fore,  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but 
fellow  citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household 
of  God ;  and  are  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
Apostles  and  Prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the 
chief  corner  stone.”  (Eph.  2:19,  20.)  Holding  for 
the  time  Paul’s  figure  of  the  olive  tree,  the  natural 
branches  were  not  arbitrarily  broken  off  by  God, 
neither  do  the  wild  olive  branches  enjoy  the  life  and 
vigor  of  the  natural  tree  as  an  arbitrary  gift  of  God. 
Paul  holds  very  tenaciously  to  the  fact  of  individual 
responsibility,  and  strongly  emphasizes  the  probation¬ 
ary  character  of  the  relations  both  of  Jews  and  of  Gen¬ 
tiles  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  earth.  Lest  any 
might  think  that  God  was  dealing  racially  with  the 
Jews,  and  was  cutting  off  the  innocent  because  they 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


161 


were  members  of  the  Jewish  race,  he  hastens  to  define 
clearly  the  individual  responsibility,  and  proves  that 
it  was  only  those  who  44  believed  not  ”  who  fell,  and  that 
the  Gentile  Christians  had  no  grounds  for  boasting,  be¬ 
cause  they  stood  by  faith,  and  if  at  any  time  they 
turned  away  in  unbelief,  they  also  would  be  cut  off 
with  the  unbelieving  Jews.  This  passage  is  so  definite 
and  discriminating  that  we  quote  in  full. 

Thou  wilt  say,  then,  The  branches  were  broken  off  that 
I  might  be  grafted  in.  Well,  because  of  unbelief  they  were 
broken  off,  and  thou  standest  by  faith.  Be  not  high- 
minded  but  fear ;  for  if  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches 
take  heed  lest  He  spare  not  thee.  Behold,  therefore,  the 
goodness  and  severity  of  God:  on  them  which  fell  severity; 
but  toward  thee  goodness,  if  thou  continue  in  His  good¬ 
ness,  otherwise,  thou  shalt  be  cut  ofL  And  they  also,  if 
they  abide  not  still  in  unbelief,  shall  be  grafted  in:  for 
God  is  able  to  graft  them  in  again.  (Rom.  11:  19—23.) 

It  is  a  serious  perversion  of  the  teaching  of  Paul,  to 
make  it  appear  that  the  Jews  as  a  race  were  so  cut  off 
by  God  that  they  must  remain  in  their  unbelief  and  iso¬ 
lation,  until  a  new  dispensation  comes  in,  when  they  will 
be  gathered  together  from  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth,  restored  to  Palestine,  and  re-established  as  an 
autonomous  sovereign  nation,  and  saved  in  the  king 
dom  of  God.  Or,  in  other  words,  making  the  moral 
salvation  of  the  Jews  contingent  upon  their  national 
sovereignty  and  solidarity.  Such  a  thought  did  not 
come  into  view.  Throughout  the  whole  discussion, 
Paul  deals  exclusively  with  his  great  theme  of  salvation 
through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  shows  that 
in  their  relations  to  God,  under  the  gospel,  the  Jews 
and  Gentiles  have  equal  chances  and  responsibilities. 
There  is  no  superiority  except  that  of  religious  faith 


16&  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


and  character;  and  no  failures  but  such  as  result  from 
personal  unbelief  and  sin.  At  the  very  outset  of  his 
argument,  Paul  clearly  stated  these  fundamental  prin¬ 
ciples.  He  said: 

And  thinkest  thou  this,  O  Man,  that  judgest  them  which 
do  such  things,  and  doest  the  same,  that  thou  shalt  escape 
the  judgment  of  God?  Or  despisest  thou  the  riches  of 
His  goodness  and  forbearance  and  longsuffering,  not  know¬ 
ing  that  the  goodness  of  God  lcadeth  thee  to  repentance? 
But  after  thy  hardness  and  impenitent  heart  treasurest  up 
unto  thyself  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  and  revelation 
of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God;  who  will  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  deeds:  to  them  who  by  patient  con¬ 
tinuance  in  well-doing  seek  for  glory  and  honor  and  immor¬ 
tality,  eternal  life;  but  unto  them  that  are  contentious,  and 
do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteousness,  indigna¬ 
tion,  and  wrath,  tribulation,  and  anguish  upon  every  soul 
of  man  that  doeth  evil,  of  the  Jew  first  and  also  of  the  Gen¬ 
tile  ;  but  glory,  honor,  and  peace  to  every  man  that  worketh 
good,  to  the  Jew  first  and  also  to  the  Gentile:  for  there  is 
no  respect  of  persons  with  God.  (Rom.  2:  3-11.) 

The  Jews  are  put  first  because  as  the  chosen  people 
they  enjoyed  the  first  privileges  and  opportunities,  and 
consequently  upon  them  came  the  first  responsibilities 
to  glorify  God,  and  carry  the  full  light  of  the  glorious 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  nations.  Racial  and 
religious  prejudices,  bigotry,  exclusiveness,  and  unbe¬ 
lief  led  them  to  reject  their  Messiah,  and  precipitated 
their  fall  from  their  divinely  ordained  prerogatives. 
But  it  was  only  those  who  believed  not  who  were  broken 
off.  All  who  believed  were  accepted  of  God,  and  to  those 
believing  Jews  we  owe  our  knowledge  of  salvation 
through  faith  in  Jesus. 

These  discriminating  facts  of  the  gospel  of  salva¬ 
tion  Paul  held  with  the  utmost  tenacity.  He  had  them 
in  full  view  when  he  wrote  that  perplexing  passage : 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


163 


For  I  would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignorant 
of  this  mystery,  lest  ye  should  be  wise  in  your  own  con¬ 
ceits;  that  blindness  in  past  has  happened  unto  Israel, 
until  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  is  come  in,  and  so  all  Israel 
shall  be  saved:  As  it  is  written,  there  shall  come  out  of 
Zion  a  deliverer  and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from 
Jacob:  for  this  is  my  covenant  unto  them  when  I  shall  take 
away  their  sins.  (Rom.  11:  25—27.) 

All  the  premises  of  this  passage  forbid  the  conclusion 
that  Paul  is  predicting  the  future  political  history,  and 
national  relations  and  prospects  of  the  Jews  and  Gen¬ 
tiles.  His  whole  argument  is  devoted  to  the  religious 
fortunes  of  these  naturally  antagonistic  peoples  in  the 
kingdom  of  grace  under  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  idea  of  another  dispensation  superseding  the  gos¬ 
pel,  and  putting  salvation  on  an  entirely  different  basis 
from  that  contained  in  the  covenants  of  grace,  does  not 
enter  his  thought  and  has  absolutely  no  place  in  his 
argument.  The  covenant  of  saving  grace,  which  he 
emphasizes  by  his  quotation  from  Isaiah,  was  to  him  a 
perpetual  covenant  which  makes  no  provision  for  an 
hiatus  of  thousands  of  years.  He  saw  the  salvation  of 
Israel  in  process  of  accomplishment,  and  that  it  would 
be  greatly  accelerated  by  the  Gentiles  entering  into  full 
covenantal  relations  with  them,  and  sharing  equally 
6<  the  sure  mercies  of  David.”  The  millennial  inter¬ 
pretation  which  makes  salvation  contingent  upon  the 
racial  and  political  distinctions  of  the  Jews  and  Gen¬ 
tiles,  not  only  does  a  grievous  injustice  to  the  broad  and 
profound  conception  of  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles, 
but  seriously  perverts  the  whole  teaching  of  the  gospel 
of  salvation  through  faith  in  Jesus. 

Paul’s  argument  refers  us  back  to  the  council  of 
Jerusalem  when  the  relation  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  cove¬ 
nants  of  Israel,  and  to  the  Deliverer  who  came  out  of 


164  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Zion  first  came  under  the  official  review  of  the  infant 
Church.  After  giving  careful  consideration  to  the  rep¬ 
resentations  of  Peter  and  Paul  who  were  chiefly  respon¬ 
sible  for  carrying  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  the  Council 
accepted  Peter’s  conclusion,  that  66  God  put  no  differ¬ 
ence  between  us  and  the  Gentiles,  purifying  their  hearts 
by  faith,”  “  But  we  believe  that  through  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  we  will  be  saved  even  as  they.” 
(Acts  15:9,  11.)  The  Apostle  James,  the  Chief 
Apostle  in  Jerusalem  and  presiding  elder  of  the  Coun¬ 
cil,  gave  the  closing  address  and  advised  sending  an 
ecumenical  letter  to  the  Gentile  churches  assuring  them 
of  an  equal  status  under  the  covenants.  “  Then  pleased 
it  the  Apostles,  and  elders  with  the  whole  Church,  to 
send  chosen  men  of  their  own  to  Antioch  with  Paul  and 
Silas.”  (Acts  15:22.) 

James,  in  sustaining  the  claim  of  Simeon  (or  Peter), 
that  64  God  at  the  first  did  visit  the  Gentiles  to  take  out 
a  people  for  his  name,”  makes  the  sweeping  statement 
that,  “  to  this  agree  the  words  of  the  Prophets  ”  (Acts 
15:14,  15),  and  gives  this  characteristic  and  repre¬ 
sentative  quotation  from  the  Prophet  Amos :  66  After 

this  will  I  return,  and  will  build  again  the  tabernacle  of 
David,  which  is  fallen  down,  and  I  will  build  again  the 
ruins  thereof,  and  I  will  set  it  up:  that  the  residue  of 
men  might  seek  after  the  Lord,  and  all  the  Gentiles, 
upon  whom  my  name  is  called,  saith  the  Lord  who  doeth 
all  these  things.”  (Acts  15: 16,  17 ;  Amos  9: 11,  12.) 

It  is  very  significant  that  James  applies  this  prophecy 
to  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  and  saw  in  the  exten¬ 
sion  of  the  Christian  Church  the  return  of  the  Lord 
and  the  rebuilding  of  the  tabernacle  of  David  that  had 
fallen  down.  He  does  not  quote  as  looking  into  the 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


165 


distant  and  unknown  future  for  the  fulfilment  of  the 
prophecy,  neither  does  he  allude  to  a  second  coming 
of  Christ  at  the  consummation  of  the  gospel  age  to  save 
the  Jewish  race.  The  Council  was  dealing  with  a  great 
problem  then  pressing  upon  them,  because  of  the  mar¬ 
velous  ingathering  of  the  Gentiles  under  the  missionary 
work  of  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  the  hostile  attitude  of 
many  Jewish  Christians.  The  dissension  was  threaten¬ 
ing  to  divide  the  Church  on  racial  lines  into  two  hostile 
camps  and  was  calling  for  settlement.  James,  the  Jew¬ 
ish  leader  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem,  said  in  effect, 
“  Why,  this  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  under  the  Mes¬ 
siah  is  what  the  prophets  have  foretold.  The  Lord  has 
returned  in  saving  power  and  the  tabernacle  of  David 
which  was  fallen  down  is  being  rebuilt.”  He  did  not 
refer  to  the  material  building  of  the  temple  which  was 
standing  in  their  midst,  but  to  the  true  sanctuary  wor¬ 
ship  of  God  that  had  fallen  into  decay  and  was  being 
restored.  With  this  application  of  the  prophecy,  the 
opponents  of  Paul  and  Silas  were  silenced.  If  these 
keen  disputants  had  not  believed  that  the  prophets  who 
foretold  the  return  of  the  Lord  meant  the  advent  of 
the  Messiah  for  the  salvation  of  men  under  the  gospel 
dispensation,  they  certainly  would  have  raised  a  strong 
objection  to  this  application  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Gentiles  without  demanding  their  subscription  to  the 
law  of  Moses.  No  such  protest  was  raised,  and  with 
the  unanimous  sanction  of  the  council,  Paul  entered 
more  enthusiastically  into  his  missionary  work  among 
the  Gentiles,  and  developed  his  theology  along  the  lines 
laid  down  in  that  first  encyclical  letter,  insisting  that 
in  the  kingdom  of  God  “  there  is  no  difference  between 
the  Jew  and  the  Greek:  for  the  same  Lord  over  all  is 


166  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him.  For  whosoever  shall 
call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.”  (Rom. 
10:12,13.) 

We  are  compelled  to  interpret  in  harmony  with  this 
teaching  of  Paul,  that  perplexing  statement  of  Jesus, 
“  And  they  shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall 
be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations:  and  Jerusalem 
shall  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles  until  the  times 
of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled.”  (Luke  21:24.)  This 
prediction  was  made  in  reference  to  the  pending  de¬ 
struction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans,  and  has  been 
literally  fulfilled.  The  people  were  slain  by  the  edge 
of  the  sword  and  led  away  captives,  and  Jerusalem  was 
trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles.  Some  expositors  have 
experienced  much  difficulty  in  defining,  4  Until  the  times 
of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled.”  The  millennialists  inter¬ 
pret  it  to  mean  when  the  rule  of  the  Gentile  kings  has 
ended,  and  Christ  has  assumed  His  millennial  reign  over 
all  the  nations.  But  such  a  revolutionizing  theory 
needs  more  support  than  one  or  more  obscure  passages 
of  scripture.  Any  exposition  of  this  passage  that 
makes  it  conflict  with  the  great  body  of  New  Testa¬ 
ment  teaching  must  be  rejected.  Even  the  fact  that 
for  nearly  two  thousand  years  Jerusalem  has  been  trod¬ 
den  under  foot  of  the  Gentiles  is  no  evidence  that  the 
gospel  is  inadequate  for  the  world’s  needs,  and  a  new 
dispensation  must  be  inaugurated  to  supplant  Gentile 
rule.  In  fact,  there  is  no  intimation  that  Gentile  rule 
is  to  be  displaced  by  a  revived  Jewish  hierarchy. 
The  burden  of  the  prediction  of  Jesus  was  not  political 
but  religious.  The  effete  Jewish  hierarchy  was  to  be 
swept  aside  by  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  because  it 
had  not  only  drifted  away  from  God,  but  set  up  an  im¬ 
passable  barrage  to  the  people’s  return  to  God.  The 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


167 


law  which  was  intended  to  be  a  school  master  to  bring 
the  people  to  Christ  had  become  a  stumbling  block  and 
a  rock  of  offence,  and  had  to  be  displaced  by  that  faith 
which  was  made  the  way  to  God  both  for  Jews  and  for 
Gentiles.  This  great  religious  revolution  occupied 
the  centre  of  the  field  in  the  predictions  of  Jesus.  The 
political  changes  mentioned  are  only  incidental  to  in¬ 
crease  the  prominence  of  the  religious  reformation  un¬ 
der  the  gospel.  History  supports  this  view.  The 
whole  Jewish  dispensation  was  ended  with  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  the  temple,  and  all  means  of  continuing  the  sac¬ 
rifices  and  elaborate  ceremonialism,  that  so  hindered  the 
Jews  from  accepting  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel,  were 
abolished.  It  was  then  that  the  great  expansion  of 
the  Gentile  church  began.  From  this  time  the  Church 
grew  rapidly  until  it  dominated  the  religious  life  of 
Europe  and  to-day  is  the  great  evangelizing  agency  of 
the  world.  This  great  religious  movement  is  the  ful- 
|  filling  of  the  “  times  of  the  Gentiles,”  or  as  Paul  ex- 
j  presses  it,  66  The  fulness  of  the  Gentiles. ”  (Luke  21 1 
24 ;  Rom.  11 :  25.) 

The  question  is  raised  as  to  whether  these  expres¬ 
sions  of  Jesus  and  Paul  refer  to  the  same  event,  or  do 
they  indicate  different  events  in  the  development  of  the 
history  of  Christianity. 

It  must  be  recognized  that  they  were  used  under  very 
different  circumstances  in  different  connections  and  for 
different  purposes.  In  neither  case  was  the  political 
rule  of  Gentile  kings  or  nations  the  burden  of  thought. 
Both  Jesus  and  Paul  were  occupied  with  the  spiritual 
salvation  of  the  world,  and  on  the  one  hand,  were  deal¬ 
ing  with  the  disastrous  results  of  unbelief  and  disobedi¬ 
ence,  and  on  the  other,  the  blessings  and  saving  power 
of  faith  and  devotion  to  truth. 


168  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

Jesus  was  predicting  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  final  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nation,  as  the 
result  of  their  rejection  of  His  Messiahship,  and  the 
ingathering  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  kingdom  of  God 
through  the  reception  of  the  gospel.  While  the  gos¬ 
pel  was  preached  throughout  the  known  world  before 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  it  was  not  until  after  the 
destruction  of  the  Holy  Temple,  and  the  abolition  of  the 
sacrificial  offerings  that  the  Gentile  churches  attained 
the  position  of  ecclesiastical  supremacy.  This  evi¬ 
dently  was  44  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  ”  to  which  refer¬ 
ence  is  made. 

Does  44  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles  ”  mean  to  be 
under  the  government  of  Gentile  rulers,  or  to  be  a  scene 
of  ruin  and  desolation?  If  it  means  the  former,  as  is 
contended  by  the  millennialists,  Jerusalem  is  still  being 
trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles.  Millennial  writers  are 
at  great  pains  to  prove  this  from  the  prophecies  of 
Daniel,  and  by  an  ingenious  manipulation  of  the  pro¬ 
phetic  days  and  weeks  to  prove  that  the  end  of  the 
Gentile  rule  is  at  hand.  But  there  is  such  a  diverg¬ 
ence  of  reckoning,  and  time  has  forced  so  many  read¬ 
justments  that  one  has  to  be  very  cautious  about  ac¬ 
cepting  these  interpretations.  Just  what  the  outcome 
of  the  Great  War  may  be,  and  what  national  or  political 
changes  it  may  effect  in  Palestine  cannot  be  determined 
at  present.  The  prospects,  however,  are  that  even 
though  Jerusalem  remains  in  British  hands,  and  the 
hope  of  the  Zionists  is  realized,  there  will  still  be  a 
Gentile  overlordship.  But  in  the  event  of  Jerusalem 
becoming  a  purely  Jewish  city  again,  will  that  be  the 
realization  of  what  Jesus  meant  when  He  spoke  of  44  the 
times  of  the  Gentiles  being  fulfilled  ”?  Surely  Jesus 
had  in  view  something  very  different. 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


169 


The  phrase,  44  trodden  down,”  means  very  much  more 
than  being  ruled  over,  even  by  Mohammedan  Turks. 
It  certainly  implies,  not  only  complete  subjugation,  but 
utter  destruction-  and  desolation.  This  is  just  what 
happened  under  the  Romans.  Even  the  foundations  of 
the  temple  were  ploughed  over.  It  remained  in  a  state 
of  utter  desolation  for  about  two  centuries.  Not  only 
the  site  but  the  name  itself  was  abandoned.  During 
this  period,  the  Gentile  churches  extended  their  influ¬ 
ence  and  power  until  the  Roman  Emperor  Constantine 
became  the  patron  of  Christianity.  The  people  began 
to  return  to  Jerusalem,  and  Emperor  Constantine  was 
moved  to  build  the  Martyrion  over  the  site  of  the  cruci¬ 
fixion  and  the  ancient  name  was  revived.  Christianity 
became  so  extensive  among  the  Gentiles  that  the  world 
was  divided  into  five  episcopal  sees  of  which  Jerusalem 
was  one.  (Kurtz,  §  46.)  The  bishops  of  these  sees 
were  recognized  as  heads  of  the  church  universal  and 
were  of  equal  rank  with  jurisdiction  over  the  patri¬ 
archates  assigned  them.  But  such  Christian  sentiment 
gathered  around  Jerusalem  that  44  even  in  Nicea  A.  D. 
325  the  bishopric  of  Jerusalem  was  declared  worthy  of 
special  honour.”  Would  not  this  religious  development 
of  the  Gentile  Church  be  more  in  harmony  with  the 
meaning  of  the  expression  of  Jesus,  44  Until  the  times 

of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled  ”  ? 

The  millennialist  objection  to  this  is,  that  Jerusalem 
is  not  yet  fully  restored  to  the  Jews,  neither  have  the 
Jews  been  returned  to  their  land.  But  there  is  nothing 
in  the  prediction  of  Jesus  to  warrant  the  assumption 
that  Jerusalem  would  ever  be  restored  to  the  Jews  as  a 
centre  of  a  Jewish  nation,  nor  yet  of  a  millennial  king¬ 
dom,  when  the  44  times  of  the  Gentiles  were  fulfilled.” 
The  prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  ab- 


170  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


solute.  Jesus  announces  this  catastrophe  as  the  end 
of  the  Jewish  dispensations,  or  the  age  under  the  Mosaic 
law,  when  the  Jewish  hierarchy  would  be  replaced  by 
the  Christian  Church,  as  a  result  of  preaching  the  gos¬ 
pel  of  the  kingdom  66  in  all  the  world  as  a  witness  to  all 
nations.”  (Matt.  24:14.)  Was  not  this  ingathering 
of  the  nations  “  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  ”  ? 

A  careful  examination  of  Paul’s  expression  “  until 
the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in  ”  shows  that  “  the 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles  ”  holds  in  view  this  same  event 
that  occupied  the  mind  of  Jesus.  There  is,  however, 
this  difference:  when  Jesus  spoke,  the  conversion  of  the 
Gentiles  was  wholly  future ;  when  Paul  wrote  his  Epistle 
to  the  Roman  Christians,  there  were  Gentile  churches 
at  least  throughout  Asia  Minor  and  in  southern  Eu¬ 
rope.  Jesus  was  predicting  to  his  questioning  disciples 
the  pending  calamity  that  was  to  befall  their  nation 
on  account  of  the  unbelief  of  its  religious  and  civil 
rulers.  Paul  was  writing  to  Christian  Gentiles  and  en¬ 
deavoring  to  harmonize  the  cutting  off  of  the  Jews, 
“  the  natural  branches,”  and  the  grafting  in  of  the 
Gentiles,  “  the  wild  olive  tree,”  by  the  election  of  grace. 
The  racial  and  religious  prejudices  of  the  Jews  formed 
a  barrier  between  them  and  the  Gentiles.  There  was 
growing  up  among  the  Gentile  converts  a  similar  wall 
of  prejudice,  against  the  Jews.  The  consequent  mis¬ 
understandings  and  strong  party  feelings  were  threat¬ 
ening  the  purity,  peace  and  the  progress  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Church.  Paul  set  himself  to  the  difficult  task  of 
allaying,  and  if  possible  removing  the  misunderstand¬ 
ings  by  explaining  the  mutual  relations  and  obligations 
both  of  Jews  and  of  Gentiles  under  the  saving  grace  of 
God.  “  For  if  the  casting  away  of  them  (Jews)  be 
the  reconciling  of  the  world,  what  shall  the  receiving 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


171 


of  them  be  but  life  from  the  dead?  ”  (Rom.  11: 15.) 
In  this  work  he  had  to  deal  with  apparently  strange 
paradoxes,  such  as  election  and  free  will,  as  applied  to 
Israel  and  the  world,  and  the  breaking  off  of  the  natu¬ 
ral  branches,  while  they  remained  under  the  mercy  of 
God,  and  were  being  urged  to  be  reconciled  with  God, 
by  accepting  Jesus  as  the  true  Messiah. 

As  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  Paul  felt  responsible 
for  the  spirit  and  conduct  of  the  Gentile  Christians,  and 
was  deeply  concerned  over  the  manifestations  of  racial 
prejudices  that  were  menacing  the  whole  work  of  God. 
These  people  were  “  being  wise  in  their  own  conceits  ” 
and  were  failing  to  rely  upon  the  illumination  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  a  true  knowledge,  and  just  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  this  mystery  of  the  divine  operation  of  salva¬ 
tion.  This  is  the  mystery  that  Paul  would  make  known 
to  them,  that  God  had  not  cast  off  the  Jews  as  a  race, 
but  that  blindness  in  part  had  happened  unto  them, 
and  they  were  broken  off  because  of  unbelief,  but  “  if 
they  abide  not  still  in  unbelief  they  shall  be  grafted  in: 
for  God  is  able  to  graft  them  in.”  He  says,  “  For  I 
would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignorant  of  this 
mystery,  lest  ye  should  be  wise  in  your  own  conceits ; 
that  blindness  in  part  is  happened  to  Israel,  until  the 
fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in.”  (Rom.  11:25.) 
This  time  was  reached,  when  after  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  Holy  Temple,  the  Gentile  Christian 
churches  became  the  dominant  religious  power  in  the 
world.  We  therefore  conclude  that  both  Jesus  and 
Paul  had  in  view  the  same  event.  The  variations  in 
mode  of  expression  are  due  to  the  differing  circum¬ 
stances,  connections,  and  purposes  that  led  to  the  state¬ 
ment. 

The  one  strong  objection  urged  against  this  inter- 


172  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


pretation  is  that  Paul  also  says  in  the  next  statement, 
“  And  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved  ” ;  and  all  Israel  was 
not  saved  after  the  Gentile  churches  obtained  the  su¬ 
premacy.  Even  in  this  present  time  the  Jews  retain 
their  racial  insulation,  and  rejection  of  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah,  and  consequently  are  not  saved. 

This  passage  admittedly  creates  much  difficulty  for 
the  interpreter,  but  there  are  some  things  that  can  be 
stated  with  confidence.  First,  there  is  not  a  solitary 
statement  in  all  Paul’s  argument  to  warrant  the  mil- 
lennialist  interpretation  that  God  cast  off  the  whole 
Jewish  race  so  that  Israel  cannot  be  saved  until  Jesus 
comes  again  in  bodily  presence  to  set  up  a  millennial 
kingdom.  In  fact,  Paul’s  argument  refutes  any  such 
idea.  Second,  Paul  could  not  have  meant  that  all 
Israelites  then  living  would  be  saved,  because  they 
passed  off  in  unbelief.  This  even  the  millennialists  ad¬ 
mit.  Neither  can  it  mean  that  the  work  of  salvation 
will  be  retroactive,  under  a  millennial  reign,  for  there 
is  no  hint  of  such  a  thing.  It  would  therefore  seem 
that  he  makes  the  statement  supported  by  quotations 
from  the  Prophets  to  forestall  in  the  Gentile  mind  the 
conclusion  that  salvation  was  actually  denied  the  Jews, 
and  hastened  to  assure  them  that  the  way  of  salvation 
is  still  open  to  the  Jews  if  they  will  accept  it  by  faith. 
The  particle  so  does  not  express  time  but  manner,  and 
the  word  all  is  distributive  and  does  not  mean  the  people 
of  Israel  en  masse ,  but  all  of  Israel  who  will  believe  and 
accept  the  gospel.  The  prophetic  references  present 
some  difficulty  because  they  are  not  verbatim  quota¬ 
tions.  There  is  a  decided  difference  between  even  the 
Hebrew  and  the  Septuagint  rendering  of  the  original 
passages  in  Isaiah.  The  latter  reads,  “  And  to  those 
who  turn  away  from  iniquity  in  Jacob.”  (Burwash  on 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


173 


Romans .)  This  is  in  harmony  with  the  ancient  cove¬ 
nants  and  prophets  and  consistent  with  Paul’s  whole 
line  of  argument  that  salvation  is  a  personal  matter, 
and  received  only  by  individual  faith.  This  statement, 
then,  is  made  to  keep  the  emphasis  upon  the  fact  that 

The  door  of  God’s  mercy  is  open 
To  all  who  are  weary  of  sin, 

And  Jesus  is  patiently  waiting, 

Still  waiting  to  welcome  them  in. 

The  Jews  were  in  blindness  now  because  of  their  un¬ 
belief,  but  that  blindness  was  not  imposed  by  God, 
neither  was  there  any  divine  plan  or  purpose  holding 
them  in  unbelief  so  that  they  could  not  be  saved.  With 
this  fact  clearly  before  him,  Paul  proceeds  to  enlarge 
upon  the  equitable  mercy  of  God,  saying, 

For  as  ye  in  times  past  have  not  believed  God,  yet  have 
now  obtained  mercy  through  their  unbelief;  even  so  have 
these  also  now  not  believed  that  through  your  mercy  they 
also  may  obtain  mercy.  For  God  hath  concluded  them  all 
in  unbelief  that  He  might  have  mercy  upon  all.  (Rom.  11 : 
30—32.) 

Any  interpretation  of  this  intricate  and  profound 
reasoning  that  sets  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  over  against 
each  other  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  appear  that  they 
cannot  both  be  saved  under  the  same  dispensation  of 
gospel  grace  does  unwarranted  violence  to  the  teaching 
of  Paul;  and  casts  a  serious  reflection  upon  the  justice 
and  mercy  of  God.  Paul  does  not  attempt  to  give  a 
detailed  explanation  of  the  apparent  paradoxes  of  his 
teaching  upon  the  election  and  grace  of  God.  He  does 
not  even  claim  to  understand  all  he  is  saying,  but  he  is 
sure  that  in  the  mind  and  purpose  of  God  these  para¬ 
doxes  find  a  perfect  harmony.  He  is  therefore  satisfied 


174  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

to  outline  the  general  principles  of  the  operations  of 
God’s  mercy  and  grace,  as  being  sufficiently  compre¬ 
hensive  to  include  in  the  divine  scheme  of  salvation  all 
who  believe  whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  and  sufficiently  dis¬ 
criminating  as  to  debar  all  who  disbelieve  irrespective 
of  their  national  descent  or  religious  antecedents,  44  For 
the  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are  without  repentance.” 
(Rom.  11:29,  33.) 

As  he  meditates  upon  these  exalted  glories  of  the 
gospel,  the  immeasurable  reaches,  and  unfathomable 
mysteries  of  God’s  grace  and  mercy,  he  exclaims,  64  0 
the  depths  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowl¬ 
edge  of  God!  how  unsearchable  are  thy  judgments  and 
thy  ways  past  finding  out.”  (Rom.  11 :  33.) 

Thus  under  the  gospel  of  Jesus  there  are  no  racial 
distinctions  or  barriers.  The  divine  call  to  repentance 
is  to  44  all  men  everywhere.”  (Acts  17 :  30.)  There  is 
no  plan  or  decree  of  God  that  prevents  any  person  from 
believing  and  obeying  the  gospel  unto  salvation.  The 
work  of  grace  began  in  Jerusalem  with  the  newly  bap¬ 
tized  Jewish  disciples  on  the  great  day  of  Pentecost, 
and  the  work  of  grace  spread  with  divine  power,  until 
the  racial  barriers  were  burst  asunder  and  the  Gentiles 
were  received  into  the  Church  on  equal  terms  with  the 
Jews,  without  the  Jewish  rite  of  circumcision.  This 
was  in  fulfilment  of  the  terms  of  the  ancient  covenants, 
and  prophecies.  The  coming  of  Jesus  44  to  save  His 
people  from  their  sins  ”  (Matt.  1:21)  was  in  44  the  ful¬ 
ness  of  time.”  (Gal.  4:4.)  This  gospel  age,  as  de¬ 
scribed  by  Paul,  is  called,  44  the  dispensation  of  the  ful¬ 
ness  of  times”  (Eph.  1:10),  that  is,  44  the  plan  by 
which  God  has  provided  salvation  for  a  lost  world.” 

As  the  work  of  the  gospel  in  course  of  time  passed 
from  the  Jewish  to  the  Gentile  Church,  the  responsi- 


175 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 

bility  for  evangelizing  the  world  now  rests  upon  Gen¬ 
tile  Christians.  We  today  are  looking  forward  to  a 
more  energetic  propaganda  of  the  gospel  of  salvation 
through  faith  in  Christ,  in  world-wide  evangelism.  As 
“  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  ”  comes  in,  the  work  of 
evangelizing  the  Jews  will  be  accelerated,  and  the  con¬ 
verted  Jews  will  join  with  their  Gentile  brethren  in  the 
glory  of  their  common  Lord.  Why  have  not  the  Jews 
been  converted?  The  answer  to  that  question  is,  Prej¬ 
udice.  The  prejudices  of  these  Jews  have  blinded  them 
to  the  true  meaning  of  their  scriptures.  Paul  noted  this 
sad  fact.  When  preaching  in  Antioch  in  Psidia  he  said, 
“For  they  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  and  their  rulers, 
because  they  knew  Him  not,  nor  yet  the  voices  of  their 
prophets  which  are  read  every  Sabbath  day,  they  have 
fulfilled  them  in  condemning  Him.”  (Acts  13:27.) 
And  again  in  his  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  “  But  we 
speak  the  wisdom  of  God  in  a  mystery,  even  the  hidden 
wisdom,  which  God  ordained  before  the  world  unto  our 
glory :  which  none  of  the  princes  of  this  world  knew . 
for  had  they  known  it,  they  would  not  have  crucified  the 

Lord  of  glory.”  (1  Cor.  2:7,  8.) 

This  was  “  the  blindness  in  part  ”  that  happened  unto 
Israel.  This  blindness  caused  by  their  prejudices  has 
kept  the  Jews  out  of  their  inheritance  of  salvation. 
Then  their  inveterate  racial  exclusiveness  has  prevented 
them  from  mixing  with  the  nations  among  whom  they 
have  been  dispersed. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  spite  of  the  teaching  of  Paul, 
strong  prejudices  developed  against  the  Jews  among 
the  Gentile  Christians.  These  prejudices  began  to 
show  themselves  very  early  in  the  apostles’  missionary 
work  and  Paul  felt  impelled  to  warn  his  converts 
against  this  mother  of  many  vices.  After  the  destruc- 


. I . .  . i  . .  ■■■  »'  »■ 

176  The  Kingdom  and  Coining  of  Christ 

tion  of  the  temple,  those  prejudices  grew  very  rapidly, 
and  serious  disabilities  were  imposed  upon  the  Jews  in 
every  land  where  Christians  held  sway,  and  Jew  bait¬ 
ing  became  an  amusing  pastime.  They  were  denied  all 
rights  of  citizenship  and  treated  with  the  utmost  con¬ 
tempt.  The  excuse  for  such  treatment  was,  that  they, 
or  their  elders  at  Jerusalem,  had  crucified  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Thus  the  disciples  missed  the  spirit  of  their 
Lord  and  forgot  His  prayer  on  the  cross,  “  Father, 
forgive  them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do.n 

Those  familiar  with  history  know  the  disabilities  im¬ 
posed  upon  the  Jews  in  the  British  Isles,  and  every 
country  in  Europe,  and  the  long  hard  fight  these  breth¬ 
ren  of  our  Lord  have  had  to  obtain  any  civil  rights. 
This  is  all  the  explanation  that  is  required  for  the  insu¬ 
lation  and  stolid  unbelief  of  the  seed  of  Israel.  How 
could  they  be  converted  to  Christianity  while  suffering 
such  cruel  treatment  from  so-called  Christian  nations? 
It  is  not  an  exhibition  of  ordinary  intelligence  to  shut 
one’s  eyes  to  these  hard  and  cruel  facts  of  history  and 
then  try  to  account  for  the  state  of  the  Jews,  by  at¬ 
tributing  it  to  a  decree  of  the  Merciful  Father  of  all 
grace.  Surely  the  just  and  impartial  God  never  in¬ 
tended  that  His  Gentile  children  should  make  their  Jew¬ 
ish  brethren  as  the  filth  and  offscouring  of  the  earth. 

Does  any  one  think  this  picture  is  drawn  in  too 
strong  colors?  Then  let  him  pause  and  analyze  the 
popular  feeling  of  the  present  time,  and  the  attitude 
of  Christians  toward  the  Jews.  Is  there  any  spirit  of 
kindly  sympathy  toward  them  even  in  our  Christian 
churches  and  communities?  True,  there  are  in  some 
centres  missions  for  the  Jewish  population,  but  these 
do  not  represent  the  Christian  sentiment  of  the  whole 
community.  Speaking  generally,  is  there  displayed  in 


The  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles 


177 


the  churches  of  Christ  that  full,  deep,  loving  kindness 
of  the  Saviour  that  would  lead  the  Jews  to  think  more 
favorably  of  the  Christians’  claim  of  the  Messiahship 
of  Jesus?  The  non-conversion  of  the  Jews  is  due  to  the 
unchristian  attitude  of  the  churches,  and  national  gov¬ 
ernments,  rather  than  to  the  design  or  decree  of  God. 
In  a  recent  interview  given  The  Christian  Guardian  of 
Toronto,  Rabbi  Nathan  Gordon  of  Montreal,  among 
other  striking  statements,  had  this  to  say  about  the 
relation  of  Jews  and  Christians: 

Nor  do  I  think  there  is  any  chance  of  Christian  and  Jew 
coming  together.  We  have  been  driven  from  country  to 
country,  hounded  and  persecuted  and  despised,  deprived 
of  the  rights  of  citizens,  outraged  and  tortured,  in  the  name 
of  religion.  Do  you  wonder  if  we  have  had  to  fight  with 
our  backs  to  the  wall?  I  will  stay  this,  that  I  think,  if  true 
Christian  treatment  had  been  meted  out  to  us,  there  would 
not  have  been  a  Jew  left  today;  they  would  have  been  of 
one  religion  with  the  Christians.”  ( The  Christian  Guard¬ 
ian,  May  17,  1916.) 


CHAPTER  VIII 


.  .  i 

THE  TWO  RESURRECTIONS 

THE  resurrection  occupies  a  very  large  place  in 
the  gospel  of  Jesus.  The  apostles  treat  it  as  the 
central  truth  in  the  scheme  of  salvation.  Its  reality 
and  efficacy  is  founded  upon  the  well  attested  fact  of 
the  resurrection  of  Christ.  Paul  met  the  attempts  to 
discredit  the  reality  of  the  resurrection  by  the  sweep¬ 
ing  and  decisive  declaration,  “  If  there  be  no  resurrec¬ 
tion  of  the  dead,  then  is  Christ  not  risen :  and  if  Christ 
is  not  risen  then  is  our  preaching  vain,  and  your  faith 
is  also  vain.”  (1  Cor.  15:13,  14.)  And  again,  “If 
Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain;  ye  are  yet  in 
your  sins.”  (Verse  17.)  Thus  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  forgiveness  of  sin, 
and  the  hope  of  glory.  It  is  also  the  final  and  irrefu¬ 
table  proof  that  all  the  “  dead  in  Christ  ”  shall  be 
“  raised  up  at  the  last  day.”  (John  6 :  39,  40.)  “  For 
as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive.  But  every  man  in  his  own  order :  Christ  the  first 
fruits  ;  afterward  they  that  are  Christ’s  at  His  coming.” 

We  are  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  premillennialists 
on  these  fundamental  facts.  But  they  teach  that  there 
will  be  a  thousand  year  period  between  the  resurrection 
of  “  the  dead  in  Christ  ”  and  the  resurrection  of  the 
wicked,  those  who  die  out  of  Christ.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  millennial  period,  Christ  shall  come  to  set  up 
His  earthly  kingdom  and  the  “  dead  in  Christ  ”  that 
are  His  at  His  coming  will  be  raised  “  out  of  the  dead,” 

and  will  reign  with  Him  a  thousand  years,  while  He  is 

178 


The  Two  Resurrections 


179 


saving  the  world.  At  the  closing  of  this  millennial 
period,  when  the  thousand  years  are  ended,  the  wicked, 
or  “  the  rest  of  the  dead,”  will  be  raised  at  the  final 
resurrection.  These  are  the  distinctions  they  make 
between  the  first  and  second  resurrections. 

When  one  enters  upon  a  philosophical  study  of  this 
millennial  interpretation,  many  very  intricate  and  per¬ 
plexing  problems  press  in  vain  for  solution.  No  mil- 
lennialist  has  yet  seriously  attempted  to  straighten  out 
the  tangle.  As  we  are  primarily  interested  in  the  teach¬ 
ing  of  scripture  on  this  profound  theme  of  the  resur¬ 
rection  we  will  confine  our  investigation  to  the  inspired 
Word,  rather  than  attempt  to  follow  philosophical 
speculations. 

The  first  question  for  our  examination  is  what  scrip¬ 
tural  proof  have  we  that  a  thousand  years  must  elapse 
between  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  and  the  resur¬ 
rection  of  the  wicked?  This  is  the  crux  of  the  whole 
millennial  theory. 

The  millennial  method  is  to  take  the  enigmatical  pas¬ 
sage  of  the  twentieth  chapter  of  Revelation,  work  out 
their  theory  from  that,  and  then  read  their  interpreta¬ 
tion  into  the  gospels  and  the  epistles,  thus  apparently 
making  out  a  case.  But  if  their  theory  is  such  an  es¬ 
sential  part  of  God’s  plan  of  salvation  as  they  claim, 
there  ought  to  be  some  plain  and  definite  proof  of  it  in 
the  New  Testament  apart  from  the  Book  of  Revela¬ 
tion.  Instead  of  following  their  method  and  reasoning 
back  from  the  closing  chapters  of  Revelation,  we  will 
reverse  the  order  and  endeavor  to  interpret  the  Reve¬ 
lation  in  the  light  of  the  gospels.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  there  are  only  a  few  passages  outside  the  twentieth 
of  Revelation  to  which  the  millennialists  appeal,  and 
the  most  important  of  these  are  Paul’s  first  Epistle  to 


180  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  Thessalonians,  and  the  first  Epistle  to  the  Corinth¬ 
ians.  These  we  will  examine  first. 

To  the  Thessalonian  Church,  Paul  wrote: 

But  I  would  not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning 
them  that  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others 
which  have  no  hope.  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and 
rose  again,  even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will 
God  bring  with  him.  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the 
word  of  the  Lord  that  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  unto 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  (or  go  before) 
them  which  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord,  himself,  shall  de¬ 
scend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the 
archangel  and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and  the  dead  in 
Christ  shall  rise  first.  Then  we  which  are  alive  and  remain 
shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to 
meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the 
Lord.  Wherefore  comfort  one  another  with  these  words. 
(1  Thess.  4:  13-18.) 

The  most  critical  analysis  of  this  passage  fails  to 
disclose  the  slightest  allusion  to  a  thousand  years,  or 
any  other  period  of  time  elapsing  between  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  of  the  dead  in  Christ  and  the  resurrection  of  the 
wicked  dead.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  no  refer¬ 
ence  whatever  in  the  whole  passage  to  the  resurrection 
of  the  wicked.  Paul  is  dealing  exclusively  with  the 
resurrection  of  the  saints,  and  the  translation  of  the 
Christians  who  are  alive  at  the  coming  of  Christ.  When 
he  says,  “  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first,”  he  does 
not  in  any  way  bring  the  resurrection  wicked  into  view. 
The  order  is  not  first ,  the  resurrection  of  the  saints, 
and  second ,  the  resurrection  of  the  wicked,  as  the  mil- 
lennialists  claim.  The  language  of  Paul  is  so  clear  and 
emphatic  there  is  no  mistaking  his  meaning.  He  says, 
“  The  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ,  then  we  which  are 
alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them 


The  Two  Resurrections 


181 


in  the  clouds.”  The  question  under  discussion  was 
whether  the  living  should  first  ascend  to  meet  their 
Lord  in  the  air,  or  whether  the  dead  in  Christ  should 
first  be  raised  up  and  go  before  the  living.  Paul  deals 
only  with  this  question.  His  decision  was  that  the  dead 
in  Christ  should  rise  first,  then  the  living  saints  would 
be  translated.  The  living  shall  not  go  before  the  dead 
in  Christ. 

The  stated  purpose  of  Paul  was  to  relieve  the  grief 
of  those  who  sorrowed  over  their  faithful  dead  “  as 
others  which  have  no  hope.” 

He  delivers  to  them  three  important  truths:  1.  He  as¬ 
serts,  as  he  had  done  before,  that  they  who  die  in  the  Lord 
should  have,  in  virtue  of  Christ’s  resurrection,  a  resurrec¬ 
tion  unto  eternal  life  and  blessedness.  2.  He  makes  a  new 
discovery,  that  the  last  generation  should  not  die  at  all,  but 
be  in  a  moment  changed  to  immortals.  8.  He  adds  another 
new  discovery,  that,  though  the  living  should  not  die,  but 
be  transformed,  yet  the  dead  should  be  first  raised  and  be 
made  glorious  and  immortal;  and  so  in  some  measure,  have 
the  preference  and  advantage  of  such  as  then  shall  be  found 
alive.  (A.  Clark’s  Commentary .) 

There  is  not  in  this  whole  passage  the  slightest 
shadow  of  a  shred  of  evidence  in  support  of  the  millen¬ 
nial  theory  of  a  thousand  year  period  between  a  first 
and  second  resurrection. 

Another  passage  requisitioned  by  the  millennialists  as 
proof  of  a  first  and  second  resurrection,  separated  by 
a  thousand  years,  is  this  statement  of  Paul :  “  For  as 

in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive.  But  every  man  in  his  own  order:  Christ  the 
first  fruits;  afterward  they  that  are  Christ’s  at  His 
coming.  Then  cometh  the  end,  when  He  shall  have 
delivered  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father; 


182  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


when  He  shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  authority 

and  power.”  (1  Cor.  15:22—24.) 

How  any  person  can  have  the  hardihood  to  read  into 
this  passage  a  millennial  reign,  and  then  attempt  to 
make  intelligent  people  believe  that  it  was  Paul’s  inten¬ 
tion,  is  one  of  the  marvels.  The  apostle  makes  no 
reference  either  in  this  passage  or  its  connections  to 
the  state  or  resurrection  of  the  wicked.  Consequently, 
even  if  the  millennial  reign  were  a  revealed  fact,  it  does 
not  come  within  the  scope  of  this  discussion.  This 
whole  transcendent  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  entranc¬ 
ing  theme  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  in  Christ  to 
immortal  glory.  This  triumphant  victory  over  death 
and  the  grave  has  been  assured  to  all  the  saints  by  the 
resurrection  of  Christ  who  became  44  the  firstfruits  of 
them  that  slept.”  The  order  mentioned  in  this  passage 
is  not  first  44  they  that  are  Christ’s  ”  and  44  afterward 
they  that  are  not  Christ’s.”  There  is  no  intimation  of 
any  millennial  period.  Any  attempt  to  read  such  a 
period  into  the  text  does  violence  to  the  argument  of 
the  Apostle.  The  order  is  44  Christ  the  firstfruits,  aft¬ 
erward  they  that  are  Christ’s  at  His  coming.”  No 
others  are  mentioned.  Therefore,  there  is  no  evidence 
of  the  millennial  distinction  of  a  first  and  second  resur¬ 
rection.  Apart  from  these  two  passages  the  millen- 
nialists  do  not  claim  any  statements  either  in  the  Acts 
or  in  the  Epistles  that  give  any  evidence  in  support  of 
their  theory  of  a  first  and  second  resurrection. 

The  one  passage  out  of  which  the  millennial  theory 
of  the  two  resurrections  is  evolved  is  Rev.  20  :  4—14. 
It  already  has  been  shown  that  the  Book  of  Revelation 
is  highly  figurative  and  pictorial,  and  presents  serious 
difficulties  to  a  literal  interpretation.  As  the  Gospels 
and  Epistles  give  no  intimation  of  a  thousand  year 


The  Two  Resurrections 


183 


period  between  the  resurrection  of  the  saints  and  the 
resurrection  of  the  sinners,  we  are  justified  in  asking 
for  more  proof  than  is  afforded  by  this  enigmatical 
passage.  It  is  not  sound  exegesis  to  extract  a  theory 
from  a  figurative  and  obscure  passage  of  scripture,  and 
then  make  all  the  clear  and  open  scriptures  bend  to  that 
theory.  It  is  much  more  consistent  and  safe  to  get 
the  plain  meaning  of  the  gospels  and  then  seek  an  in¬ 
terpretation  of  the  obscure  passages  of  Revelation  in 
harmony  therewith.  As  the  apostle  John,  the  author 
of  the  Book  of  Revelation,  is  also  the  author  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel  and  Epistles  bearing  his  name,  it  is  only  reasonable 
to  expect  to  find  something  there  that  will  give  us  a  clew 
to  his  meaning  here.  We  look  to  the  Gospel  where  he  is 
reporting  the  words  of  Jesus  and  find  a  description  of 
two  distinct  resurrections.  The  Jews  sought  to  slay 
Jesus  because  He  healed  the  impotent  man  at  the  Beth- 
esda  pool  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Jesus  met  this  menace 
by  identifying  Himself  with  God  the  Father  and  urging 
the  necessity  of  a  changed  life  and  character  which  He 
described  as  a  resurrection, —  passing  from  death  unto 
life.  They  marvelled  at  this,  then  He  predicted  the 
resurrection  of  the  bodies,  both  of  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked,  from  the  grave.  This  whole  passage  is 
worthy  of  a  close  examination.  He  said : 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  heareth  my  word, 
and  believeth  on  Him  that  sent  me  hath  everlasting  life, 
and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation;  but  is  passed  from 
death  unto  life. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  hour  is  coming,  and 
now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 
God:  and  they  that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father  hath 
life  in  Himself,  so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in 
Himself;  and  hath  given  Him  authority  to  execute  judg¬ 
ment  also,  because  He  is  the  Son  of  Man.  Marvel  not  at 
*  ~ 


184  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


this :  for  the  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the 
graves  shall  hear  His  voice,  and  shall  come  forth;  they 
that  have  done  good  unto  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  they 
that  have  done  evil  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation. 
(John  5:24—29.) 

Here  we  have  two  distinct  and  quite  different  resur¬ 
rections  corresponding  with  the  two  distinct  parts  of 
man’s  nature,  the  spiritual  and  the  physical.  The  first 
is  the  resurrection  of  the  soul,  or  spiritual,  from  the 
death  of  sin  unto  the  life  of  righteousness.  This  is  the 
great  spiritual  change  wrought  in  the  penitent  believer 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  commonly  called  conversion. 
The  second  is  physical,  the  resurrection  of  the  bodies, 
from  the  grave,  both  of  them  “  that  have  done  good,” 
and  of  them  “  that  have  done  evil.”  In  verses  24-27, 
the  former  or  spiritual  resurrection  is  so  lucidly  de¬ 
scribed  that  there  is  no  mistaking  the  meaning  of  Jesus. 
This  exposition  of  the  changed  life  so  astonished  the 
people  that  Jesus  passed  naturally  and  with  sustained 
lucidity  to  the  resurrection  from  the  grave  (Verses  28, 
29)  of  all  men,  good  and  bad,  and  sets  it  forth  with 
an  emphasis  that  is  most  impressive. 

This  passage  is  so  full  of  gospel  meaning  that  it  is 
worth  while  giving  it  extended  study: 

“  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  heareth  my 
word  and  believeth  on  Him  that  sent  me  hath  everlast¬ 
ing  life.”  Can  any  one  doubt  the  application  of  this 
appeal?  “  He  that  heareth  my  word  and  believeth  on 
Him  that  sent  me,”  certainly  means  the  believer  in 
Jesus  then  and  now,  under  the  provisions  of  the  gospel 
salvation.  The  reward  of  that  faith  is  “  everlasting 
life,”  not  a  life  that  is  to  be  received  in  some  indefinite 
and  unknown  time  in  the  future  ages,  but  a  gift  imme¬ 
diately  possessed  and  enjoyed.  This  is  in  harmony 


The  Two  Resurrections 


185 


with  all  the  gospel  teaching  of  salvation.  44  He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life:  and  he  that 
believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but  the  wrath 
of  God  abideth  on  him.”  (John  3:  36.)  This  deliver¬ 
ance  from  wrath  and  condemnation  Jesus  calls  a  44  pass¬ 
ing  from  death  unto  life  ”  which  is  undoubtedly  a  resur¬ 
rection.  In  the  next  verse,  Jesus  repeats  the  statement 
in  a  little  different  form  to  make  it  more  explicit  and 
give  it  added  emphasis.  44  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  the  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God:  and  they  that 
hear  shall  live.”  The  form  and  terms  of  this  state¬ 
ment  preclude  all  possibility  of  applying  it  to  the  resur¬ 
rection  of  the  bodies  of  the  saints  from  the  grave. 
44  And  now  is,”  expresses  definite  present  time.  Even 
then  the  dead  were  hearing  the  voice  of  Jesus  and  were 
coming  forth  into  life.  The  only  reasonable  explana¬ 
tion  is  44  the  dead  ”  here  means  the  spiritually  dead, — 
those  who  were  in  unbelief  and  sin.  As  these  heard  the 
voice  of  Jesus  and  turned  unto  God  by  faith,  they 
passed  from  death  unto  life.  This  is  the  glorious  work 
of  regeneration  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  (John 
3 : 3-8. ) 

In  all  the  scriptures,  the  moral  condition  of  the  sin¬ 
ner  is  described  as  a  state  of  death.  Even  before  the 
gospel  times,  those  who  practiced  idolatry  and  sin  were 
accounted  as  dead.  Therefore,  Jesus  was  using  a  fig¬ 
ure  which  was  very  familiar  to  the  people.  Matthew 
quotes  from  Isaiah,  44  The  people  which  sat  in  darkness 
saw  great  light :  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  valley  and 
shadow  of  death  light  has  sprung  up.”  (Matt.  4:  16, 
quoted  from  Isa.  42:7.)  Zacharias,  the  father  of 
John  the  Baptist,  in  his  song  of  praise  also  quoted 
from  Isaiah,  saying,  “  To  give  light  to  them  that  sit 


186  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  (Luke  1 . 79 , 
Isa.  9:2.)  It  would  be  superfluous  to  attempt  to 
quote  the  many  scripture  texts  which  describe  the  sin¬ 
ful  condition  as  a  state  of  death.  A  few  typical  ones 
from  the  apostles  will  suffice  to  give  the  clew  to  the 
thoughtful  student.  Paul  said,  44  And  you  hath  He 
quickened  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.” 
(Eph.  2:1.)  And  again,  44  Awake  thou  that  sleepest, 
and  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee 
light.”  (Eph.  5 : 14.)  John,  the  author  of  both  the 
Gospel  and  the  Revelation,  says  in  his  Epistle,  44  We 
know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life  because 
we  love  the  brethren.”  ( 1  John  3 :  14. )  Here  we  have 
convincing  proof  given,  that  to  John  sm  and  death  were 
interchangeable  terms,  and  that  conversion  is  a  resur¬ 
rection.  Paul  also  caught  this  supreme  significance  of 
regeneration,  and  insistently  urged  that  this  gieat  spir¬ 
itual  change  was  a  resurrection  from  the  dead.  He 
said,  44  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  His  great 
love  wherewith  He  loved  us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in 
sins,  hath  quickened  us  together  in  Christ,  (by  grace 
are  ye  saved ;)  and  hath  raised  us  up  together  in  heav 
enly  places  in  Christ  Jesus.”  (Eph.  2:4—6.)  And 
again,  44  Buried  with  Him  in  baptism  wherein  also  .ye 
are  risen  with  Him,  through  the  faith  of  the  operation 
of  God,  who  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead.  And  you 
being  dead  in  your  sins  and  the  uncircumcision  of  your 
flesh,  hath  He  quickened  together  with  Him  having  for¬ 
given  your  trespasses.”  (Col.  2:12,  13.)  44  If  ye 

then  be  risen  with  Christ,,  seek  those  things  which  are 
above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God. 
(Col.  3:1.) 

“  This  is  the  first  resurrection.  Blessed  and  holy  is 
he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection :  on  such  the 


The  Two  Resurrections 


187 


second  death  hath  no  power,  but  they  shall  be  priests 
of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign  with  Christ  a 
thousand  years.”  (Rev.  20:5,  6.)  That  this  first 
resurrection  is  a  spiritual  transformation  of  the  saints 
and  martyrs  is  quite  clear  from  the  preceding  verse. 
“  And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they  sat  upon  them :  And  I 
saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for  the  wit¬ 
ness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  which  had 
not  worshipped  the  beast,  neither  his  image,  neither 
had  received  his  mark  upon  their  foreheads,  or  in  their 
hands,  and  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thou¬ 
sand  years.”  The  44  thrones  and  they  that  sat  upon 
them,”  is  a  picture  of  44  Christianity  established  in  the 
earth,  the  kings  and  governors  being  all  Christians.” 
(A.  Clark’s  Commentary .)  The  souls  of  the  mar¬ 
tyred  saints  had  obtained  a  complete  victory  over  the 
beast  and  his  images,  over  all  evil,  their  minds  were 
pure,  and  their  conduct  was  clean,  the  mark  of  the  beast 
was  not  found  either  in  their  foreheads  or  their  hands, 
and  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ.  They  were 
also  priests  of  God.  This  is  the  distinctive  honor  of 
all  the  regenerate  disciples  of  Jesus.  44  But  ye  are  a 
chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  an  holy  nation, 
a  peculiar  people.”  (1  Pet.  2:9.)  44  Unto  him  that 

loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own  blood 
and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  His 
Father.”  (Rev.  1 :  5,  6.)  44  This  is  the  first  resurrec¬ 

tion.”  The  thousand  years,  the  sacred  number  ten 
raised  to  the  third  power,  is  symbolic  of  the  complete¬ 
ness  of  the  victory  over  Satan,  in  the  reign  with 
God.1 

44  But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until  the 
thousand  years  were  finished.”  (Rev.  20:  5.)  This  is 

i  See  chapter  V  on  the  Reign  of  Jesus. 


188  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


a  key  passage  of  the  millennial  theory.  The  thousand 
years  are  interpreted  as  being  a  strictly  literal  period 
of  time.  The  dead  in  Christ  are  raised  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  this  millennium,  and  the  wicked  or  rest  of  the 
dead,  are  raised  at  its  close.  There  is  such  a  diversity 
of  opinion  among  millennialists  regarding  the  order  of 
the  resurrection  of  the  saints  that  it  is  impossible  to 
harmonize  them.  They  appear  to  have  all  their  trou¬ 
bles  with  the  saints  or  good  people.  The  wicked  give 
them  no  trouble.  There  is  only  one  lot  of  them.  The  mil¬ 
lennialists  have  a  special  rapture  in  which  the  Church  and 
the  Old  Testament  saints  are  raised  when  Christ  comes 
in  the  air,  and  the  tribulation  period  in  which  the  tribu¬ 
lation  or  martyred  saints  are  raised.  The  order  of  the 
first  resurrection  is  6i  Christ  the  firstfruits,”  then  they 
that  are  Christ’s  at  His  coming.  These  latter  are  di¬ 
vided  into  rapture  saints  and  tribulation  saints,  which 
are  raised  at  different  times.  ( Christ  is  Coming ,  by  W. 
E.  B.,  p.  101.)  Therefore  there  are  several  resurrec¬ 
tions  of  saints  but  apparently  only  one  resurrection  of 
the  wicked. 

Jesus  said,  “  Marvel  not  at  this ;  for  the  hour  is  com¬ 
ing  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear 
His  voice,  and  shall  come  forth;  they  that  have  done 
good  unto  the  resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have 
done  evil  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation.”  (John 
5:28,  29.) 

This  passage  is  so  plain  that  it  would  seem  almost 
absurd  to  indulge  in  any  exposition  to  show  that  both 
the  good  and  evil  come  forth  from  their  graves  at  the 
hour  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  calls  them.  But 
the  peculiar  interpretation  of  the  millennialists  renders 
it  necessary  to  analyze  the  words  of  the  Master.  They 
read  a  thousand  years  between  the  resurrection  of 


The  Two  Resurrections 


189 


44  they  that  have  done  good  ”  and  44  they  that  have  done 
evil,”  making  two  distinct  resurrections ;  the  one  at 
the  beginning  of  the  millennial  reign,  and  the  other 
at  its  close.  But  there  is  not  the  slightest  justification 
for  thus  arbitrarily  separating  by  any  period  of  time 
the  resurrection  of  these  two  classes,  which  according 
to  the  statement  of  Jesus  come  forth  at  the  same  hour. 
The  connections  are  so  close  that  they  forbid  the  im¬ 
portation  of  any  extraneous  elements.  Study  the  pass¬ 
age.  44  The  hour  is  coming  in  the  which  all  that  are 
in  their  graves.”  The  all  of  this  statement  is  neither 
particular  nor  distributive  but  universal,  and  means 
every  one.  It  makes  no  distinction  between  the  good 
and  the  evil. 

As  if  to  forestall  the  possibility  of  a  mistake,  and 
concluding  that  the  all  includes  only  the  righteous  dead, 
our  Lord  immediately  proceeds  to  define  those  who  are 
in  their  graves,  as  44  they  who  have  done  good  ”  and 
44  they  who  have  done  evil.”  All  shall  be  raised.  But 
when  shall  it  be?  At  two  distinct  and  separate  pe¬ 
riods?  Jesus  does  not  hint  such  a  thing.  His  lan¬ 
guage  here  is  definite.  44  The  hour  (or  time)  is  com¬ 
ing.”  The  singular  form  fixes  the  resurrection  of  both 
classes  at  one  time.  If  there  are  to  be  two  distinct 
resurrections,  with  a  thousand  years  intervening,  the 
language  of  Jesus  is  very  misleading.  He  should  have 
used  the  plural  form  and  said,  44  The  hours,  or  times 
are  coming.”  The  singular  number  is  decisive  and 
forbids  any  person  indulging  in  such  liberties  with  the 
Word  of  God,  as  to  make  it  mean  44  hours  or  times  ” 
with  a  thousand  years  thrust  between  them.  The  con¬ 
trast  between  this  statement  and  the  preceding  makes 
the  language  even  more  definite  and  decisive.  When 
dealing  with  the  spiritual  resurrection  from  sin  to  right- 


190  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


eousness,  Jesus  said,  44  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
the  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall 
hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God;  and  they  that  hear 
shall  live.”  The  phrase,  44  now  is,”  fixes  the  time  to 
the  present.  Even  when  He  was  speaking  they  that 
believed  would  pass  from  44  death  unto  life.”  This  re¬ 
sult  will  follow  the  exercise  of  faith  in  response  to  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  God  to  the  end  of  time.  46  Marvel 
not  at  this :  for  the  hour  is  coming  in  the  which  all  that 
are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  His  voice,  and  shall  come 
forth.”  The  omission  of  the  phrase,  44  now  is,”  is  very 
significant.  The  44  hour  that  is  coming  ”  is  undoubt¬ 
edly  the  time  which  in  the  next  chapter  Jesus  calls  the 
44  last  day.”  (John  6:  39,  40  and  44.) 

This  exposition  harmonizes  with  the  whole  teaching 
of  the  gospel.  Nowhere  does  Jesus  intimate  that  there 
will  be  an  extended  period  of  time  between  the  resur¬ 
rection  of  the  good  and  the  resurrection  of  the  wicked. 
Everywhere  He  speaks  of  the  two  classes  as  coming 
forth  together.  This  is  very  marked  in  the  parables 
of  the  kingdom.  In  His  explanation  of  the  parable  of 
the  tares,  Jesus  said,  44  The  harvest  is  the  world.  The 
Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  His  angels  and  they  shall 
gather  out  of  His  kingdom  all  things  that  offend  and 
them  which  do  iniquity,  and  shall  cast  them  into  the 
furnace  of  fire:  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun 
in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father.”  (Matt.  13:40—43.) 
The  gathering  out  is  at  44  the  end  of  the  world.”  Then 
44  them  which  do  iniquity  ”  are  condemned  and  44  cast 
into  the  furnace  of  fire.”  There  is  no  room  here  for  a 
thousand  years,  at  the  end  of  which  the  wicked  shall 
be  dealt  with. 

The  parable  of  the  fishing  net  is  equally  explicit. 


The  Two  Resurrections  191 

“  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the  world :  the  angels  shall 
come  forth  and  sever  the  wicked  from  the  just.” 
(Matt.  13:  49.)  It  is  not  at  the  end  of  the  millennial 
age,  but  the  end  of  the  gospel  age,  44  the  end  of  the 
world,”  that  the  44  wicked  are  cast  into  the  furnace  of 
fire.”  Therefore,  the  resurrection  both  of  the  just  and 
of  the  wicked  will  be  at  44  the  end  of  the  world.” 

The  Parables  of  Judgment  teach  the  same  truth. 
For  instance,  while  the  virgins  waited  for  the  bride¬ 
groom  46  they  all  slumbered  and  slept.  At  midnight 
there  was  a  cry  made,  4  Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh, 
go  ye  out  to  meet  him.’  Then  all  those  virgins  arose.” 
(Matt.  25:5,  6.)  The  wise  and  the  foolish  arose  to¬ 
gether,  but  the  foolish  lacking  the  necessary  prepara¬ 
tion  were  shut  out  of  the  banquet  chamber.  How  is  it 
possible  to  force  a  thousand  years  between  the  rising 
of  the  wise,  and  the  rising  of  the  foolish  virgins  ?  They 
all  arose  when  they  heard  the  midnight  cry.  Tjie 
foolish  with  the  wise,  because  they  asked  the  wise  to 
supply  them  with  oil,  44  for  our  lamps  have  gone  out.” 

So  also  in  the  parable  of  the  talents,  when  after  a 
long  while  the  lord  came  to  reckon  with  his  servants, 
they  all  came  forward,  the  faithful  who  had  used  their 
talents  to  profit,  and  the  unfaithful  who  in  his  wicked 
slothfulness  hid  his  talent.  (Matt.  25:14—30.)  Any 
attempt  to  thrust  a  thousand  years  between  the  reck¬ 
oning  with  the  faithful  servants,  and  the  unfaithful, 
destroys  the  point  and  pith  of  the  parable.  The  fact 
that  both  classes  stood  together  for  the  final  reckoning 
is  put  beyond  cavil  by  the  statement,  44  Take,  therefore, 
the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  to  him  which  hath  ten 

talents.”  (Matt.  25 :  28.) 

In  His  graphic  description  of  the  great  judgment, 
Jesus  gives  an  impressive  picture  of  the  gathering  to- 


192  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


gether  of  all  nations,  both  the  good  and  the  bad.  He 
said,  44  When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  glory, 
and  all  the  holy  angels  with  Him,  then  shall  He  sit 
upon  the  throne  of  His  glory:  And  before  Him  shall 
be  gathered  all  nations:  and  He  shall  separate  them 
one  from  another  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from 
the  goats.”  (Matt.  25:  31,  32.) 

The  mental  contortions  and  literary  44  stunts  ”  per¬ 
formed  by  some  millennialists  in  their  attempts  to  break 
the  force  of  this  evidence,  and  read  a  thousand  years 
into  this  description  of  the  gathering  of  all  nations, 
both  the  sheep  and  the  goats,  before  the  throne  of  divine 
judgment,  is  very  distressing  to  the  normal  and  well- 
balanced  thinker.  There  is  not  the  slightest  justifica¬ 
tion  for  such  a  distortion  of  the  language  of  Jesus. 
The  good  and  the  bad  of  all  nations  must  come  forth 
since  the  representation  of  the  judgment  is  designed  to 
impress  upon  the  followers  of  Jesus  the  duty  of  works 
of  mercy. 

One  instinctively  turns  to  the  clear  thinking  and 
logical  Apostle  Paul  to  get  the  apostolic  viewpoint. 
He  outlines  the  gospel  teaching  in  a  representative 
passage  in  his  second  epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  44  For 
we  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle 
were  dissolved  we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  .  .  .  For  we 
must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ; 
that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  his  body, 
according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or 
bad.”  (2  Cor.  5:1,  10.)  The  terms  of  this  passage 
are  so  clear  that  comment  is  unnecessary.  The  Apos¬ 
tle  leaves  no  room  to  conclude  that  any  extended  period 
of  time  elapses  between  the  appearance  of  the  good  and 
the  bad  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ;  therefore 


The  Two  Resurrections 


193 


there  is  no  indication  of  a  millennial  period  between  the 
resurrection  of  the  two  classes. 

The  fullest  description  of  this  final  scene  is  given 
in  this  glowing  imagery  of  the  apocalypse. 

And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  Him  that  sat  upon 
it,  from  whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heaven  lied  away; 
and  there  was  found  no  place  for  them.  And  I  saw  the 
dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God;  and  the  books 
were  opened:  and  another  book  was  opened,  which  is  the 
book  of  life:  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things 
which  were  written  in  the  books,  according  to  their  works. 
And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which  were  in  it;  and  death 
and  hell  (margin,  “  or  the  grave  ”)  delivered  up  the  dead 
which  were  in  them:  and  they  were  judged  every  man  ac¬ 
cording  to  their  works.  And  death  and  hell  were  cast  into 
the  lake  of  fire.  This  is  the  second  death.  And  whosoever 
was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of  life  was  cast  into  the 
lake  of  fire.  (Rev.  20:  11—15.) 

The  scene  here  depicted  follows  the  second  resurrec¬ 
tion.  But  the  millennialists  claim  that  the  righteous 
were  44  raised  out  of  the  dead  ”  a  thousand  years  pre¬ 
vious  to  this  great  judgment;  and  that  this  scene  repre¬ 
sents  the  resurrection  and  judgment  of  44  the  rest  of  the 
dead  99  only.  If  this  were  true,  why  should  the  Book  of 
Life  be  opened  with  the  other  books?  Let  it  be  noted 
that  this  is  the  only  book  that  receives  specific  mention. 
Only  the  righteous  are  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Life. 
If  all  the  righteous  had  been  44  raised  out  of  the  dead  ” 
a  whole  millennium  before  this  resurrection  and  judg¬ 
ment,  there  are  no  rational  grounds  for  introducing 
here  the  Book  of  Life.  This  figure  of  the  books  is  pe¬ 
culiarly  Jewish.  Moses,  when  praying  in  heart  anguish 
for  idolatrous  Israel,  and  fearful  lest  the  awful  sin 
could  not  be  forgiven,  pleaded,  44  Yet  now,  if  thou 
wilt  forgive  their  sin  — ;  and  if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray  thee 


194  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


out  of  thy  book  \diich  thou  hast  written.  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  4  Whosoever  hath  sinned  against 
me,  him  will  I  blot  out  of  my  book.’  ”  (Ex.  32 : 32, 
33.)  Interesting  references  are  found  in  the  Psalms 
of  this  Book  of  God.  (Psa.  56:8;  139:10.)  Mala- 
chi  speaks  of  the  book  of  remembrance  which 
was  written  before  the  Lord  for  them  that  feared  Him. 
(Mai.  3:16.)  The  Rabbinical  writings  between  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  placed  great  emphasis  upon 
the  books  of  God,  particularly  the  Book  of  Life  and 
the  book  of  death.  The  Rabbins  evidently  based 
their  teaching  on  the  visions  of  Daniel,  which  read: 
“  I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast  down,  and  the  An¬ 
cient  of  Days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as 
snow,  and  the  hair  of  His  head  like  pure  wool:  His 
throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and  His  wheels  as  burn¬ 
ing  fire.  A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from 
before  Him:  thousand  thousands  ministered  unto  Him, 
and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before 
Him :  the  judgment  was  set,  and  the  books  were  opened.” 
(Dan.  7:9,  10.)  The  description  given  here  of  the 
Judge  upon  the  throne  is  so  similar  to  those  in  Reve¬ 
lation  that  one  is  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  John 
wrote  with  the  visions  of  Daniel  before  him.  This 
imagery  was  familiar  to  the  Jews  because  it  occupied 
a  large  place  in  the  apocalyptic  writings  of  the  Rabbins. 
Daniel  says  also,  “  And  at  that  time  shall  Michael 
stand  up,  the  great  Prince  that  standeth  for  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Thy  people:  and  there  shall  be  a  time  of  trou¬ 
ble,  such  as  there  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation 
even  to  that  same  time:  and  at  that  time  they  shall  be 
delivered,  and  every  one  that  shall  be  found  written  in 
the  book  of  life.”  (Dan.  12:1.)  John  makes  several 
references  to  the  Book  of  Life.  (Rev.  3:5;  13:8; 


The  Two  Resurrections 


195 


£1:27.)  This  Book  of  Life  contains  the  record  of 
God’s  people,  those  who  are  worthy  of  eternal  glory. 
Therefore,  the  opening  of  this  book  at  the  resurrection 
and  the  judgment  of  the  dead,  as  described  in  the  twen¬ 
tieth  chapter  of  Revelation,  is  proof  of  the  presence 
of  the  righteous  dead  whose  names  are  written  therein. 
There  is  no  reason  for  introducing  the  Book  of  Life 
for  the  judgment  of  the  wicked.  Their  names  are  in 
the  book  of  death.  The  procedure  outlined  by  John 
deals  with  both  the  good  and  the  bad. 

4 4  The  books  were  opened:  and  another  book  was 
opened  which  is  the  Book  of  Life,  and  the  dead  were 
judged  out  of  those  things  which  were  written  in  the 
books,  according  to  their  works.”  (Rev.  £0:12.) 
The  whole  setting  is  that  of  a  general  judgment  in 
which  all  the  dead,  whether  in  Christ  or  out  of  Christ, 
come  forth  to  be  judged  44  according  to  the  deeds  done 
in  the  body  ”  as  they  are  written  in  the  books  of  God. 
They  whose  names  are  written  in  the  Book  of  Life  shall 
receive  the  full  rewards  of  the  righteous,  they  whose 
names  44  are  not  written  in  the  book  of  life  shall  be 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.”  (Rev.  £0:15.)  This  vision 
of  John  on  Patmos  harmonizes  with  the  visions  of 
Daniel,  the  parables  of  the  kingdom,  the  parables  of 
judgment  and  the  definite  declarations  of  the  Apostles 
in  their  epistles.  In  all  these  statements,  there  is  no 
provision  for  a  thousand  year  period  between  the  resur¬ 
rection  and  judgment  of  the  righteous,  and  the  resur¬ 
rection  and  judgment  of  44  the  rest  of  the  dead.”  All 
44  the  dead  great  and  small,”  the  good  and  the  bad,  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  men  appear  together  before 
the  great  white  throne  and  Him  that  sat  upon  it,  4k  from 
whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heaven  fled  away.”  The 
description  is  conclusive. 


196  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


This  interpretation  is  strongly  supported  by  the  re¬ 
peated  statements  of  Jesus  that  He  would  raise  up  the 
believing  saints  at  44  the  last  day.”  (John  6:39,  40, 
44,  45.)  This  is  the  time  that  Paul  speaks  of  as  44  that 
day”  (1  Tim.  1:12  and  4:8),  which  is  the  day  of 
judgment.  It  is  at  this  time,  according  to  Jesus,  that 
those  who  believe  in  Him  and  receive  everlasting  life 
shall  be  44  raised  up.”  (John  6:  40.) 

The  millennialists  endeavor  to  negative  these  clear 
statements  by  arguing  that  44  the  last  day  ”  is  a  thou¬ 
sand  year  period,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous 
is  in  the  beginning  or  morning  of  the  day;  and  the 
resurrection  of  44  the  rest  of  the  dead  ”  is  in  the  closing 
or  evening  of  the  day.  Between  this  morning  and  eve¬ 
ning,  or  throughout  the  day  or  thousand  years,  the 
millennial  reign  of  Jesus  will  be  in  full  glory.  It  has 
been  shown  that  the  thousand  year  and  millennial  reign 
theories  lack  scriptural  support,  therefore,  the  length 
of  44  the  last  day  ”  is  purely  a  matter  of  speculation. 
It  may  be  many  more  than  a  thousand  years,  or  it 
may  be  many  years  less.  On  this  point,  Jesus  and 
the  Apostolic  writers  are  silent,  therefore,  we  have  no 
data  for  determining  its  length.  The  duration  of 
44  that  day  ”  is  immaterial  to  the  truth  revealed.  They 
who  attempt  to  fix  its  limits  have  little  profit  for  their 
pains.  Peter’s  statement,  44  One  day  is  with  the  Lord 
as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one 
day,”  is  the  Apostle’s  way  of  rebuking  the  folly  of  at¬ 
tempting  to  fix  the  operations  of  God  within  definite 
time  limits. 

The  inevitable  conclusion  is  that  those  who  hear  the 
word  of  Jesus  and  believe  on  God  through  Him  have 
everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation; 
but  are  passed  from  death  unto  life,  “  This  is  the  first 


The  Two  Resurrections 


197 


resurrection.”  These  shall  live  and  reign  with  Christ 
a  thousand  years,  or  in  perfect  security.  (John  5: 
21,  25.)  44  On  such  the  second  death  shall  have  no 

power.”  (Rev.  20:4,  5,  6.)  By  the  second  death  is 
meant,  44  everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  and  the  glory  of  His  power  ”  (2  Thess.  1:9), 
or  what  is  commonly  meant  by  44  final  perdition.”  This 
is  another  Rabbinical  mode  of  speech  in  very  frequent 
use,  and  by  it  they  understood  the  punishment  of  hell 
in  a  future  life. 

Though  the  soul  is  vitalized  by  the  power  of  this 
everlasting  life,  the  body  will  die.  44  This  earthly  house 
of  our  tabernacle  will  dissolve,”  but  44  the  hour  is  com¬ 
ing  when  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall  come  forth.”  (John 
5:28,  29.)  This  is  the  second  resurrection.  44  For 
this  corruptible  must  put  on  incorruption  and  this 
mortal  must  put  on  immortality.  .  .  .  Then  shall  be 
brought  to  pass  the  saying  that  is  written,  Death  is 
swallowed  up  in  victory.”  (1  Cor.  15:53,  54.)  Only 
the  saints  of  God  pass  through  these  two  resurrections. 


CHAPTER  IX 


JESUS  COMING  AGAIN 
Introduction 

THERE  is  quite  general  agreement  among  Chris¬ 
tians  that  Christ  is  coming  again,  but  there  is  a 
wide  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  purpose  of  His  com¬ 
ing,  and  how  and  when  He  will  come.  Is  He  coming  to 
purify  the  earth,  and  establish  a  new  kingdom  over 
which  He  will  preside  in  actual  bodily  presence  as  the 
supreme  ruler?  TThe  premillennialists  claim  that  He 
is  and  that  this  coming  is  imminent.  They  claim  that 
at  His  first  advent,  He  was  rejected  by  His  own  people 
and  ejected  from  the  world.  He  returned  unto  the 
heavens  66  until  the  times  of  restitution  of  all  things  ” 
(Acts  3:21),  when  He  will  come  again,  establish  His 
kingdom  on  the  earth,  and  during  His  millennial  reign 
make  an  end  of  sin  and  save  the  world.  In  the  pre¬ 
ceding  chapters,  we  have  shown  that  the  dispensation  of 
salvation  is  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  and  that  the  millennial- 
ist  conception  of  the  bodily  reign  of  Jesus  on  earth  for  a 
thousand  years  lacks  scriptural  proof.  It  only  re¬ 
mains  for  us  to  examine  the  teaching  of  the  scriptures 
on  the  end  of  the  world  and  the  coming  again  of  Jesus. 

A  common  method  of  interpretation  with  those  who 
have  a  special  theory  or  doctrine  to  advocate  is  to  col¬ 
lect  isolated  and  unrelated  passages  of  scripture  that 
seem  to  lend  countenance  to  their  scheme,  and  by 
bringing  them  together,  regardless  of  their  connections, 
bend  them  to  suit  their  purposes.  By  this  means,  all 

sorts  of  fantastic  theories  may  be  given  a  show  of  scrip- 

198 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


199 


tural  support.  The  correct  and  sure  method  is  to 
study  the  passages  of  scripture  in  their  connections 
and  historical  setting,  and  seek  the  author’s  viewpoint 
and  trend  of  thought. 

Every  candid  student  of  eschatology  must  recognize 
the  fact  that  the  revelations  of  the  Bible  on  the  future 
life  are  only  partial.  They  are  lacking  in  details,  and 
do  not  attempt  to  outline  a  regular  and  consecutive 
program.  There  are  consequently  many  problems  left 
unsolved,  and  many  questions  unanswered.  We  are 
led  up  to  the  border  of  the  illimitable  future  beyond 
which  we  have  very  little  definite  information.  The  at¬ 
tempt  to  go  beyond  the  limitations  of  clearly  revealed 
truth  is  to  substitute  conjecture  and  speculation  for 
assured  knowledge.  One  who  dogmatizes  on  conjecture 
is  an  unsafe  leader.  The  limitation  of  Divine  Revela¬ 
tion  is  almost  appalling.  A  noted  theologian  said  of 
the  Bible,  44  We  have  a  leaf  out  of  one  great  book,  and 
it  begins  and  ends  as  it  were  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence.” 
In  theological  studies  we  are  constantly  confronted  with 
the  fact  44  that  God  is  the  centre  everywhere  of  a  science 
which  has  its  circumference  nowhere.”  And  yet  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures  enough  is  revealed  to  enable  us  to  un¬ 
derstand  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  how  to  secure  sal¬ 
vation  and  eternal  glory.  We  can  accept  as  conclu¬ 
sive  the  mandate  of  Moses,  44  The  secret  things  belong 
to  God:  but  the  things  which  are  revealed  belong  unto 
us  and  our  children  forever,  that  we  may  do  all  the 
words  of  this  law.” 

1.  The  End  of  the  World 

There  are  some  New  Testament  terms  that  need  de¬ 
fining  before  we  can  intelligently  appreciate  the  mean¬ 
ing  of  Jesus  and  the  apostles  when  they  speak  of  the 


200 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


coming  of  the  Lord.  Foremost  among  these  is  the 
familiar  expression,  64  the  end  of  the  world.”  The 
popular  conception  is  that  it  means  the  passing  away 
of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  the  destruction  of  this  ma¬ 
terial  earth  and  the  final  ending  of  this  physical  uni¬ 
verse,  or  terrestrial  world.  This  conception  is  so  fixed 
in  the  minds  of  some  that  we  may  be  thought  tainted 
with  heresy  if  we  question  its  accuracy.  Before  we 
permit  either  prejudices  or  predilections  to  enslave  our 
reason,  it  is  well  to  examine  carefully  the  scriptures  to 
reassure  ourselves.  Our  aim  must  be  to  learn  the 
thought  and  meaning  of  the  respective  writers. 

Before  one  can  fully  appreciate  the  gospel  meaning 
of  44  the  end  of  the  world,”  it  is  necessary  to  under¬ 
stand  wThat  the  world  is  and  when  it  began. 

There  are  several  passages  in  this  connection  worthy 
of  careful  examination.  Paul  wrote  to  Timothy : 

Who  hath  saved  us  and  called  us  with  an  holy  calling, 
not  according  to  our  works,  but  according  to  His  own  pur¬ 
pose  and  grace,  which  was  given  us  in  Christ  Jesus  before 
the  world  began:  but  is  now  made  manifest  by  the  appear¬ 
ing  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  abolished  death 
and  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  gos¬ 
pel:  whereunto  I  am  appointed  a  preacher  and  an  apostle, 
and  a  teacher  of  the  Gentiles.  (2  Tim.  1 :  9—11.) 

The  closing  clause  gives  the  purpose  and  point  of 
Paul’s  argument,  namely,  the  salvation  of  the  Gentiles 
under  the  gospel  of  Jesus  on  the  same  terms  and  condi¬ 
tions  as  the  Jews.  This  he  claims  44  was  given  us  in 
Christ  Jesus  before  the  world  began.”  It  is  commonly 
assumed  that  tin*  expression  44  before  the  world  began  ” 
means  before  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  this 
material  earth,  or  physical  world.  That,  however, 
cannot  be  the  meaning  of  Paul  because  the  Greek  word 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


201 


here  translated  “  world  ”  is  aionion  and  means  age  or 
dispensation.  He  is  not  speaking  of  the  physical  world 
at  all,  but  of  the  religious  dispensation.  The  whole 
phrase  is  pro  chronon  aionion ,  which,  literally  trans¬ 
lated,  is,  “  before  eternal  times,”  or  “  before  the  times 
of  the  ages.” 

The  same  expression  is  used  in  the  epistle  to  Titus. 
We  quote  in  full: 

Paul,  a  servant  of  God,  and  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ 
according  to  the  faith  of  God’s  elect,  and  the  acknowledg¬ 
ing  of  the  truth  which  is  after  godliness,  in  hope  of  the 
eternal  life  which  God,  that  cannot  lie,  promised  before  the 
world  began ;  but  in  due  times  manifested  His  word  through 
preaching,  which  is  committed  unto  me  according  to  the 
commandment  of  God  our  Saviour.  (Titus  1 :  1-3.) 

Here  Paul  emphasizes  the  same  glorious  truth  of  the 
gospel,  which  he  says  God  “  promised  before  the  world 
began,”  pro  chronon  aionion ,  before  the  eternal  times 
or  before  the  times  of  the  ages.  The  promise  made 
before  the  times  of  the  ages  was  “  the  hope  of  eternal 
life,”  zoes  aionion ,  to  be  given  unto  those  who  receive 
the  gospel  preached  unto  them.  If  the  eternal  times 
were  before  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  this  physi¬ 
cal  world,  to  whom  was  this  promise  made?  It  could 
not  have  been  made  to  men,  because  it  would  be  before 
man’s  creation.  But  the  Apostle  refers  to  a  distinct 
promise  made  to  the  children  of  men.  Therefore,  these 
times  must  have  been  within  the  period  of  human  his¬ 
tory.  It  must  refer  to  the  covenants  of  God  with  the 
fathers.  But  what  period  could  be  designated  by  Paul 
as  eternal  times ?  The  only  satisfactory  explanation 
is,  the  phrase  refers  to  the  age  before  the  giving  of  the 
law  in  the  wilderness.  The  organization  of  Israel  for 


£02  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

_ _ _ _ _  ■ 

sanctuary  worship  divided  the  times  into  various  fasts, 
feasts,  seasons  and  jubilees. 

Pro  chronon  aionion  is  a  Hebraism,  meaning  the  Jew¬ 
ish  jubilees.  The  Jews  computed  time  by  these  jubi¬ 
lees  as  the  Gentiles  computed  by  their  generations. 
Paul  links  up  these  two  methods  of  computing  time 
when  he  speaks  of  “  the  mystery  which  hath  been  hid 
from  ages  ( apo  ton  aionon)  and  from  generations  (apo 
ton  generon ),  but  now  is  made  manifest  to  the  saints.” 
(Col.  1:  25,  26.)  This  mystery  which  aforetime  was 
hid  both  from  the  Jews  and  from  the  Gentiles,  was  the 
inclusion  of  the  Gentiles  in  the  covenants  of  grace. 

There  is  one  other  passage  that  claims  attention. 
In  closing  his  epistle  to  the  Romans,  Paul  says: 

Now  to  Him  that  is  of  power  to  establish  you  according 
to  my  gospel  and  the  preaching  of  J esus  Christ  according 
to  the  revelation  of  the  mystery,  which  was  kept  secret 
since  the  world  began ,  but  is  now  made  manifest,  and  by 
the  scriptures  of  the  prophets,  according  to  the  command¬ 
ment  of  the  everlasting  God,  made  known  to  all  nations 
for  the  obedience  of  the  faith.  (Rom.  16:25,  26.) 

Here,  again,  we  have  the  same  mystery,  “  the  com¬ 
mandment  of  the  everlasting  God,”  that  all  the  nations 
should  be  the  recipients  of  the  promised  blessings  which 
was  66  kept  secret  since  the  world  began.”  ( Chronois 
aionois  sesigemenon .)  Literally,  having  been  kept  se¬ 
cret  in  the  eternal  times .  As  these  were  promises  and 
commandments  made  to  men,  the  “  eternal  times  ”  or 
“  since  the  world  began,”  must  come  within  the  range 
of  human  history.  These  promises  were  before  “  the 
world  began,”  but  men  did  not  comprehend  the  fulness 
of  their  meaning  nor  the  sweep  of  their  provisions. 
When  were  they  made?  They  are  specifically  given  in 
the  Abrahamic  covenant.  “  In  thee  shall  all  the  fami- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


203 


lies  of  the  earth  be  blessed.”  44  Thou  shalt  be  a  father 
of  many  nations,”  and  44  Abraham  shall  surely  become 
a  great  and  mighty  nation  and  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  shall  be  blessed  in  him.”  (Gen.  12  :  3;  17:4,  5; 
18:  18.)  These  covenants  of  grace  were  for  all  peo¬ 
ple.  There  were  no  tribal  or  racial  distinctions  or 
limitations.  In  the  development  and  organization  of 
the  Israelites  under  the  eternal  statutes,  nomimon 
aionion ,  the  Hebrews  became  exclusive,  and  lost  sight 
of  the  universal  terms  of  their  covenant  which  included 
the  nations  in  its  provisions.  This  was  the  mystery, 
which  was  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ  and  made  known 
unto  the  Gentiles  by  Paul,  especially  in  his  epistles  to 
the  Romans  and  Galatians.  (Rom.  ch.  4;  Gal.  ch.  3.) 
The  special  election  of  Israel  was  a  provisional  and 
temporary  arrangement  for  the  preservation  of  the 
true  revelation  and  worship  of  God  44  until  the  fulness 
of  time  was  come  ”  (Gal.  4:4),  when  God  44  sent  forth 
His  Son  ”  to  redeem  all  men,  establish  His  everlasting 
kingdom  among  men,  and  bring  both  Jews  and  Gentiles 
into  the  full  enjoyment  of  salvation  by  grace  through 
faith.  This  was  the  unfolding  or  manifestation  of  the 
mystery  kept  secret  from  the  44  foundation  of  the 
world.” 

The  Benedictus  of  Zacharias,  over  the  naming  of 
his  son  John  was,  44  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel; 
for  He  hath  visited  and  redeemed  His  people  and  hath 
raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  for  us  in  the  house  of 
His  servant  David:  as  He  spake  by  the  mouth  of  His 
prophets  since  the  world  began”  ( ton  ap *  aionos). 
(Luke  1:  68—70.)  Here  we  have  the  same  words  with¬ 
out  the  modifying  chronos.  Literally,  it  means  since 
the  age  began.  This  age  covered  the  period  of  the 
law  and  the  prophets.  44  As  He  spake  by  the  mouth  of 


£04  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

His  prophets  since  the  age  began.”  This  certainly 
fixes  the  time  after  the  Egyptian  emancipation.  The 
law  and  the  prophets  began  with  Moses.  The  burden 
of  the  message  of  the  prophets  was,  “  That  we  should 
be  saved  from  our  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  all  that 
hate  us :  to  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers, 
and  to  remember  His  holy  covenant ;  the  oath  which  He 
sware  to  our  father  Abraham,.”  (Luke  1:71—73.) 
This  age,  or  “  world,”  therefore,  began  after  the  prom¬ 
ise,  or  oath  made  to  Abraham,  and  is  plainly  a  reli¬ 
gious  age  or  dispensation,  not  a  political  dynasty. 

Peter  preaching  in  the  temple,  after  the  healing  of 
the  lame  man  at  the  gate  Beautiful,  said,  64  Whom  the 
heaven  must  receive  until  the  times  of  restitution  of  all 
things,  which  God  hath  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  all  His 
holy  prophets  since  the  world  began  (ap’  aionos)99 
(Acts  '3:£1.)  This  is  the  same  expression  used  by 
Zacharias,  and  limited  in  the  same  manner  to  the  age 
of  the  law  and  the  prophets.  This  is  placed  beyond 
all  doubt  by  the  succeeding  verse.  “  For  Moses  truly 
said  unto  the  fathers,  a  prophet  shall  the  Lord  your 
God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your  brethren  like  unto  me; 
him  shall  ye  hear  in  all  things  whatsoever  he  shall  say 
unto  you.”  (Acts  3:££.) 

When  the  dissension  arose  in  Jerusalem  over  the 
reception  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  church  without  cir¬ 
cumcision,  a  council  of  all  the  apostles  and  leading 
elders  was  called  to  consider  the  matter.  After  a  full 
discussion  of  the  question  the  Apostle  James  summed 
up  the  situation.  In  his  address  to  the  council  he  said, 
“  Known  unto  God  are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world ”  (ap’  aionos).  (Acts  15:18.)  Here 
the  same  phrase  is  used  again,  which  certainly  means 
the  same  period.  It  does  not  mean  from  the  beginning 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


205 


of  the  material  creation  of  the  world.  It  may  be  un¬ 
reservedly  accepted  that  even  before  this  time  known 
unto  God  were  all  His  works ;  but  that  is  not  what 
James  said.  Here  we  are  not  dealing  with  the  fore¬ 
knowledge  of  God,  but  merely  with  the  statement  of 
James,  which  is  that  God’s  plan  was  before  him  from 
the  beginning  of  the  age  or  dispensation  of  the  law  and 
the  prophets.  Zacharias,  Peter,  and  James  use  the 
same  phrase  in  practically  the  same  connections  and 
historical  settings,  and  refer  to  the  same  age  or  dispen¬ 
sation.  In  every  instance,  the  apostolic  use  of  the 
expressions  44  since  the  world  began  ”  and  44  from  the 
beginning  of  the  world,”  the  reference  is  either  to  the 
covenant  of  grace  made  for  the  nations  through  Abra¬ 
ham,  or  the  emphasis  placed  upon  these  covenant  prom¬ 
ises  by  the  Prophets.  God  had  ordained  from  the  time 
He  entered  into  Plis  covenant  with  Abraham,  that  He 
would  make  the  Gentiles,  or  nations,  partakers  of  the 
covenant  blessings  with  Israel.  (Eph.  1 : 10.)  In 
44  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times,”  the  promised 
seed  through  the  blood  of  the  Cross  broke  down  the 
middle  wall  of  partition,  that  through  the  ages  of  offer¬ 
ings  and  sacrifices  had  separated  the  Jews  from  the 
nations,  44  And  came  and  preached  peace  to  them  that 
were  afar  off  (the  Gentiles),  and  to  them  that  were 
nigh”  (the  Jews).  (Eph.  2:17.) 

Having  shown  that  by  the  phrase,  44  since  the  world 
began,”  the  apostles  and  the  people  of  their  time  meant 
the  beginning  of  the  Mosaic  economy  or  dispensation, 
we  are  prepared  to  consider  the  New  Testament  mean¬ 
ing  of  the  expression,  44  the  end  of  the  world.”  The 
writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  contrasting  the 
imperfect  sacrifices  of  the  sanctuary  under  the  Levitical 
law,  with  the  perfect  offering  of  Christ  for  the  sins  of 


206  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


mankind,  says,  “For  then  must  He  often  have  suffered 
since  the  foundation  of  the  world ,  but  now  once  in  the 
end  of  the  world  hath  He  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  Himself.”  (Heb.  9:26.)  Here  we 
have  “  the  foundation  of  the  world  ”  (apo  kataholes 
kosmon)  contrasted  with  “the  end  of  the  world”  ( epi 
sunteleia  ton  aionon).  While  to  the  English  reader 
the  former  expression  conveys  practically  the  same 
meaning  as  the  phrase  “  since  the  world  began,”  yet 
the  Greek  terms  are  quite  different,  and  may  be  taken 
to  mean  “  since  the  beginning  of  the  orderly  universe.” 
The  Greek  kosmos ,  like  the  English  world ,  is  an  equivo¬ 
cal  word  whose  meaning  has  to  be  determined  by  the 
connection  in  which  it  is  used.  Here  the  writer  is  con¬ 
trasting  the  imperfect  sacrifices  offered  by  the  high 
priest  in  the  holy  place  of  the  sanctuary  every  year 
with  the  perfect  sacrifice  of  Jesus  offered  on  Calvary 
once  for  all.  The  former  was  offered  as  an  atonement 
for  the  sins  of  the  worshipping  Jews  or  Hebrews,  the 
latter  was  an  atonement  made  for  all  men.  “  Jesus 
tasted  death  for  every  one”  {Pantos).  (Heb.  2:9.) 
As  the  whole  discussion  is  of  the  relative  efficacy  of  the 
offerings  and  sacrifices  of  the  Mosaic  economy  it  is 
only  natural  to  assume  that  the  expression  “  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world  ”  used  in  this  connection  means 
from  the  laying  down  ( Kataholes )  of  the  organization 
of  these  sacrificial  offerings.  The  real  meaning  of 
kosmos  is  an  orderly  organization.  It  is  applied  to  the 
material  world  or  universe  only  in  so  far  as  it  is  a  set 
order  or  fashion.  The  other  expression,  “  the  end  of 
the  world,”  is  literally  the  completion  of  the  age.  This 
end  was  when  Jesus  “  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  Himself  ”  and  was  consummated  about  nine¬ 
teen  hundred  years  ago.  But  the  material  universe 


Jesus  Coming  Again  '  207 

remained,  and  still  remains  unchanged.  Therefore,  the 
only  conclusion  is  that  this  “  end  of  the  world  ”  was 
the  completion  and  passing  away  of  the  Mosaic  econ- 
onry  which  was  imposed  upon  the  children  of  Israel 
“  until  the  time  of  reformation.”  (Heb.  9: 10.) 

We  have  still  further  scriptural  evidence  that  this 
was  the  accepted  meaning  of  the  phrase,  “  the  end  of 
the  world.”  In  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  Paul 
says,  “  Now  all  these  things  happened  to  them  for  ex¬ 
amples  ;  and  they  are  written  for  our  admonition  upon 
whom  the  ends  of  the  world  ( ta  tete  ton  aionon)  are 
come.”  (1  Cor.  10:  11.)  The  plural  form,  “  the  ends 
of  the  world,”  must  have  special  significance.  These 
“  ends  ”  had  come  upon  that  generation  of  the  apostles ; 
therefore,  they  must  be  events  of  past  history.  They 
also  clearly  indicate  a  great  religious  transition.  The 
only  interpretation  that  will  fit  all  the  facts  is,  the 
Apostle  refers  to  the  completion  of  the  Mosaic  economy 
and  the  beginning  of  the  gospel  dispensation.  These 
expressions  were  familiar  idioms  to  the  Jews  of  the 
Apostolic  age.  The  Rabbins  divided  the  duration  of 
time  into  three  parts,  or  ages ;  first,  the  age  before  the 
law,  or  the  patriarchal  dispensation ;  second,  the  age 
under  the  law,  or  the  Mosaic  dispensation ;  and  third, 
the  age  under  the  Messiah,  which  to  them  would  be  the 
last  dispensation.  The  generation  of  the  apostles 
marked  the  transition  from  the  age  under  the  law,  to 
the  ajsre  under  the  Messiah.  Thus  “  the  ends  of  the 
world,”  the  closing  of  the  old  dispensation,  and  the 
beginning  of  the  new,  came  upon  them. 

The  gospel,  also,  holds  in  view  the  end  of  the  age 
under  the  Messiah.  A  few  of  the  parables  of  Jesus 
plainly  indicate  a  final  adjudication  at  the  end  of  the 
gospel  age.  In  the  parable  of  the  tares,  Jesus  said, 


208  The  Kingdom*  and  Coming  of  Christ 


44  As  therefore  the  tares  are  gathered  and  burned  in 
the  fire;  so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  the  world”  (Matt. 
13:40)  ( en  to  sunteleia  ton  aionos  tontou).  The  lit¬ 
eral  translation  is  44  in  the  completion  of  this  age.” 
The  emphatic  this  would  seem  to  confine  the  time  to  the 
closing  of  the  age  under  the  law,  as  the  gospel  dispen¬ 
sation  had  not  then  been  fully  established.  But  Jesus 
said,  44  The  law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John:  since 
that  time  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every 
man  presseth  into  it.”  (Luke  16:16.)  The  judg¬ 
ment  of  the  parables  would  seem,  therefore,  to  come 
more  properly  under  the  closing  scenes  of  the  gospel 
age.  Dr.  Adam  Clark  makes  this  comment  : 

Some  learned  men  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  whole  of 
this  parable  refers  to  the  Jewish  state  and  people,  and 
that  the  words  sunteleia  aionos  which  are  commonly  trans¬ 
lated  “  the  end  of  the  world,”  the  end  of  the  age,  i.  e,,  the 
end  of  the  Jewish  polity.  That  the  words  have  this  mean¬ 
ing  in  other  places,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  and  this  may  be 
their  primary  meaning  here;  but  there  are  other  matters 
in  the  parable  which  agree  far  better  with  the  consumma¬ 
tion  of  all  things,  than  with  the  end  of  the  Jewish  dispensa¬ 
tion  or  polity. 

The  same  statement  is  made  in  44  the  parable  of  the 
fish  net  ”  (Matt.  13 :  49)  with  this  difference,  the  em¬ 
phatic  adjective  this  (Gr.  tontou )  is  omitted.  Other¬ 
wise,  the  same  comments  apply  as  to  the  parable  of  the 
tares.  When  giving  His  great  commission  to  the  Apos¬ 
tles,  Jesus  promised  His  presence  44  All  the  days  unto 
the  end  of  the  world  ”  ( prasas  tas  emeras  eos  teo 
suntleleias  ton  aionos ),  literally,  44  all  the  days  until 
the  completion  of  the  age.”  This  can  mean  only  until 
the  completion  of  the  age  under  the  Messiah,  or  the 
gospel  dispensation. 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


209 


This,  then,  was  the  common  expression  of  the  times 
of  the  Messiah  to  designate  the  completion  of  an  age, 
or  dispensation  in  the  religious  life  or  history  of  the 
people,  whether  it  be  the  age  before  the  law,  under  the 
law,  or  under  the  Messiah.  In  all  correct  expositions 
of  eschatology,  this  fact  must  be  recognized,  and  the 
ages  differentiated  to  avoid  confusion  of  thought  and 
erroneous  conclusions. 

2.  The  Return  of  Jesus  to  His  Disciples 

The  coming  of  Christ  is  associated  with  the  end  of 
the  world.  The  millennialists  endeavor  to  work  every 
mention  of  a  coming,  appearing,  manifestation,  or  reve¬ 
lation  of  Jesus  into  their  scheme  of  a  bodily  presence 
and  millennial  reign  of  Jesus  on  earth.  This  leads  to 
a  misinterpretation  of  scripture,  and  a  serious  confu¬ 
sion  of  thought,  as  well  as  a  misconception  of  the  pur¬ 
pose  and  glory  of  the  gospel.  There  are  several  events 
in  the  development  and  extension  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  that  are  described  in  the  New  Testament  as  a 
coming  or  appearing  of  Jesus.  It  is  necessary  to 
clear,  sound  thinking,  and  an  intelligent  saving  faith  in 
Christ  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  to  distinguish  carefully 
between  these  manifestations  or  revelations. 

The  discourse  of  Jesus  in  the  historic  upper  room  at 
the  last  Passover  is  intensely  interesting.  The  dis¬ 
ciples  were  much  depressed  by  the  repeated  announce¬ 
ment  of  Jesus  that  He  was  going  to  leave  them ;  but 
He  repeatedly  assured  them  that  He  would  come  to 
them  again.  In  this  entrancing  conversation,  He  men¬ 
tioned  three  different  comings  for  three  distinct  pur¬ 
poses. 

First,  after  a  brief  absence  from  them,  He  would 
come  to  them  and  give  them  fuller  and  more  definite 


210 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


instructions  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  their  great 
world  evangelizing  mission.  He  said,  44  Little  chil¬ 
dren,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek 
me:  and  as  I  said  unto  the  Jews,  whither  I  go  ye  cannot 
come ;  so  now  I  say  unto  you.”  Peter  became  anxious 
about  this  saying,  and  asked,  44  Lord,  whither  goest 
thou?  Jesus  answered  him,  Whither  I  go  thou  canst 
not  follow  me  now;  but  thou  shalt  follow  me  after¬ 
wards.”  (  John  13:33,  36.)  Later  in  the  conversa¬ 
tion,  Jesus  said,  44  A  little  while  and  ye  shall  not  see 
me:  and  again,  a  little  while  and  ye  shall  see  me,  be¬ 
cause  I  go  unto  my  Father.”  His  disciples  were  much 
perplexed  over  this  saying  and  questioned  among  them¬ 
selves  what  it  might  mean.  Jesus  knew  they  were  de¬ 
sirous  to  ask  Him,  and  said  unto  them,  44  Do  ye  enquire 
among  yourselves  of  that  I  said,  4  A  little  while  and  ye 
shall  not  see  me  and  again  a  little  while  and  ye  shall 
see  me  ’?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  shall 
weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall  rejoice:  and  ye 
shall  be  sorrowful  but  your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into 
joy.”  (John  16:16-20.)  This  little  while  can  have 
no  other  meaning  than  the  time  He  was  absent  from 
them  between  His  crucifixion  and  resurrection.  He 
told  them  that  after  His  resurrection  He  would  go 
before  them  into  Galilee,  and  meet  them  there.  (Matt. 
26:32.)  After  this,  He  was  with  them  for  a  little 
while.  44  For  forty  days  He  showed  Himself  alive  by 
many  infallible  proofs.”  (Acts  1:3.)  During  this 
time  He  gave  them  special  instruction  in  the  meaning 
of  the  scriptures  and  gave  them  the  great  missionary 
commission.  (Luke  24:44—53.)  The  return  to  His 
disciples  after  His  death  made  patent  to  them  His  con¬ 
tinued  and  exalted  life,  and  thereby  established  their 
faith  in  Him  as  their  everlasting  Lord. 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


211 


He  also  promised  His  disciples  that  He  would  return 
to  them,  that  they  might  enjoy  His  abiding  presence. 
He  said, 66  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless  (or  orphans), 
I  will  come  to  you.”  (John  14:  18,  28.)  And  again, 
“Ye  have  heard  how  I  said  unto  you,  I  go  away,  and 
come  again  unto  you.”  And  again  after  His  resurrec¬ 
tion,  and  just  previous  to  His  ascension,  He  said,  “  Lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.” 
(Matt.  28:  20.)  But  this  promised  presence  is  only  to 
those  who  love  and  serve  Him.  Jesus  said,  “  He  that 
hath  my  commandments  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that 
loveth  me:  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my 
Father,  and  I  will  love  him  and  manifest  myself  to 
him.”  (John  14:21.)  When  Judas  questioned  the 
possibility  of  Jesus  manifesting  Himself  unto  them  and 
not  unto  the  world,  He  replied,  “  If  a  man  love  me,  he 
will  keep  my  words;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and 
we  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him.” 
(John  14:23.) 

Throughout  this  discourse,  Jesus  kept  the  stress  on 
the  promise  of  the  Father  that  the  Holy  Ghost  would 
come  to  His  disciples  after  His  departure  as  their  spe¬ 
cial  guide,  teacher,  comforter,  and  advocate,  to  qualify 
them  to  carry  on  the  work  he  had  begun  in  the  world. 
Thus  unto  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  third  person  of  the 
Trinity,  was  committed  the  ministry  of  redemption. 
Jesus  said,  “  If  I  go  not  away  the  Comforter  will  not 
come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  Him  unto 
you.”  (John  16:7.)  Here  we  are  confronted  by 

strange  paradoxes. 

He  was  to  leave  them,  and  yet  not  forsake  them;  to  go 
away,  and  yet  to  be  with  them;  to  go  and  yet  to  come  to 
them.  They  were  to  be  deprived  of  Him,  their  Head,  yet 
orphans  they  should  not  be.  Another  was  to  come  yet  not 


212  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


another;  a  Comforter  from  the  Father,  from  Himself; 
whom,  not  as  in  His  case,  the  world  could  neither  know 
nor  see,  but  whom  they  should  know,  though  they  could  not 
see.  His  own  presence  with  them  was  a  privilege  which  no 
tongue  could  worthily  tell.  Blessed  were  their  eyes  for 
what  they  saw,  and  their  ears  for  what  they  heard.  Better 
still  than  even  this  was  to  be  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  would  follow  Him  as  He  had  followed  John. 
(William  Arthur,  Tongue  of  Fire,  page  3.) 

Here  we  have  the  three  persons  of  the  Trinity,  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  clearly  distin¬ 
guished,  and  yet  carrying  on  together  the  great  work 
of  man’s  redemption  and  the  world’s  salvation.  While 
Jesus  differentiates  between  Himself  and  the  comforter 
who  is  to  follow  Him  in  an  abiding  ministry  to  the  dis¬ 
ciples,  He  keeps  the  emphasis  on  the  fact  that  He  Him¬ 
self  is  coming  again  to  abide  with,  and  in  them.  In  the 
parable  of  the  vine  He  said,  “  Abide  in  me  and  I  in 
you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself  except 
it  abide  in  the  vine ;  no  more  can  ye  except  ye  abide  in 
me.”  (John  15:  4.)  It  is  very  evident  that  this  abid¬ 
ing  presence  of  Jesus  is  not  in  bodily  form,  but  in  spir¬ 
itual  power.  As  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  ever  present  with 
His  people,  even  so  the  exalted  and  glorified  Jesus  is  a 
Spirit  and  ever  present  with  those  that  love  Him  and 
keep  His  words.  It  is  an  abiding  presence  that  is  clear 
to  the  spiritual  consciousness  of  the  obedient  disciple 
though  unknown  to  the  world. 

Millennialists  object  to  this  interpretation  as  “  spir¬ 
itualizing.”  They  say,  "  the  coming  again  of  Christ 
must  be  a  real  bodily  presence,”  but  a  spiritual  pres¬ 
ence  is  as  real,  as  a  bodily  presence.  This  fact  Jude 
could  not  understand  when  Jesus  was  talking  with 
them,  but  He  assured  him  that  it  was  true.  The  re¬ 
ligion  of  Jesus  is  preeminently  spiritual  in  its  nature, 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


£13 


operations,  and  results.  They  pervert  the  fountains  of 
divine  truth  who  deny  that  the  spiritual  verities  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  are  literally  true. 

The  reason  the  Jewish  rulers  failed  to  understand 
Jesus,  and  crucified  Him  as  an  impostor  was  their 
minds  had  been  so  perverted  by  the  materialism  of  the 
times  that  they  could  think  only  in  physical  and  politi¬ 
cal  terms.  Because  of  their  environment,  education, 
and  political  expectations,  the  disciples  were  at  first 
handicapped  by  the  limitations  of  the  times.  As  the 
only  possible  means  of  teaching  them  spiritual  truths 
was  by  the  medium  of  human  language,  which  was  essen¬ 
tially  materialistic,  Jesus  was  at  a  very  great  disad¬ 
vantage.  In  this  discourse  Jesus  undertook  to  over¬ 
come  these  disabilities  and  so  impart  the  deeper  spir¬ 
itual  realities  of  religious  experience,  that  these  select 
disciples  might  rise  above  the  superficiality  and  for¬ 
malism  of  their  times  and  grip  the  eternal  verities  of 
God.  But  in  spite  of  all  His  efforts,  their  political 
predilections,  and  materialistic  proclivities,  barred  their 
approach  to  the  unsearchable  riches  of  heavenly  grace 
and  fellowship.  It  was  the  recognition  of  these  mental 
and  spiritual  limitations  that  constrained  Jesus  to  say, 

I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  can¬ 
not  bear  them  now.  Howbeit,  when  He  the  Spirit  of 
Truth  is  come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth :  for  He 
shall  not  speak  of  Himself;  but  whatsoever  He  shall 
hear,  that  shall  He  speak;  and  He  shall  show  you 
things  to  come.”  (John  16:  1£,  13.) 

Under  the  full  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  those  dis¬ 
ciples  learned  these  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  enjoyed  the  conscious  presence  and  fellowship  of 
Jesus.  It  is  likewise  the  privilege  of  every  Christian 
to  enjoy  the  actual  presence  of  Jesus  every  day.  u  I1  or 


214  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world,”  is  His  great  promise. 

As  in  wireless  telegraphy  there  must  be  a  real  ad¬ 
justment  and  correspondence  between  the  sending  and 
receiving  instruments,  even  so  in  the  spiritual  fellow¬ 
ship  between  the  glorified  Jesus  and  His  disciples,  there 
must  be  a  true  spiritual  harmony  and  sympathy.  The 
vital  spiritual  connection  is  attained  and  maintained 
only  by  holy  love  and  obedience.  All  our  spiritual  ad¬ 
justments,  relations,  and  experiences  depend  upon  our 
fidelity  to  the  principles  of  devotion,  love,  and  obedi¬ 
ence. 

There  is  yet  another  coming  again  emphasized  by 
Jesus  in  this  upper  room  discourse.  He  said,  u  In  my 
Father’s  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it  were  not  so  I 
would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. 
And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come 
again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also.”  (John  14:  2,  3.) 

Millennialists  rob  this  charming  promise  of  its  com¬ 
fort  for  dying  saints  by  denying  any  “  coming  again  ” 
of  Jesus  until  the  end  of  the  world,  when  they  say  He 
will  come  to  establish  His  millennial  kingdom.  This  is 
a  most  arbitrary  way  of  wresting  sacred  language. 
The  Father’s  house  of  many  mansions  is  not  “  yet  fu¬ 
ture.”  It  has  a  present  existence,  Jesus  spoke  of  it  as 
existing  when  He  was  going  away.  In  fact,  the  Fa¬ 
ther’s  house  of  which  He  speaks  so  familiarly,  is  heaven, 
God’s  dwelling  place.  Jesus  claimed  to  have  come  down 
from  heaven  (John  3: 13),  and  after  His  resurrection 
He  ascended  to  heaven  again.  The  place  He  went  to 
prepare  for  His  disciples  is,  therefore,  in  heaven,  not  on 
the  earth.  It  is  forcing  language  beyond  all  the  limits 
of  reason  to  say  that  the  place  Jesus  went  to  prepare 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


215 


for  those  disciples  is  on  this  earth  and  after  nineteen 
centuries  is  still  unprepared.  There  could  not  be  much 
consolation  for  those  troubled  ones  in  such  a  far-off 
hope.  44  That  where  I  am,  ye  may  be  also,”  can¬ 
not  mean  that  in  the  very  place  in  which  He  was  then 
assembled  with  His  disciples,  He  would  receive  them 
after  His  return.  If  He  were  speaking  of  His  return 
from  the  grave  this  might  be  a  permissible  interpreta¬ 
tion,  because  after  His  resurrection,  He  did  meet  with 
His  disciples  in  that  upper  room.  But  then  He  did 
not  receive  His  disciples,  they  received  Him,  and  en¬ 
tertained  Him.  That  was  not  His  Father’s  house. 
The  natural  and  consistent  interpretation  of  the  lan¬ 
guage  of  the  text  is  that  Jesus  meant  the  home  of 
the  saints  in  heaven.  44  I  go  away  ”  meant  His  ascen¬ 
sion  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  44  Far  above  all  prin¬ 
cipalities,  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and 
every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world, 
but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come.”  (Eph.  1:21.) 
It  is  this  exalted  heaven  where  God  the  Father  is 
that  the  glorified  Jesus  entered  to  prepare  a  place  in 
which  to  receive  His  disciples.  Just  what  that  prepa¬ 
ration  was  to  be  is  not  stated,  but  this  is  apparently 
what  Paul  meant  when  he  said,  44  For  we  know  that  if 
our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we 
have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens.”  (2  Cor.  5:1.)  The  eternal 
Son  of  God  could  only  speak  in  the  present  tense. 
44  Where  I  am  ye  may  be  also,”  is  the  natural  way  for 
Him  who  said,  44  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am,”  to  ex¬ 
press  eternal  abode  with  Him  in  the  mansions  of  glory. 
The  time  when  He  would  come  and  receive  them  unto 
Himself  was  when  their  sacrifice  and  service  on  earth 
was  over  and  they  were  prepared  to  enter  the  many 


SI 6  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


mansions  of  the  Father’s  house.  This  does  not  mean 
that  death  is  the  work  of  God,  or  the  coming  of  Christ. 
It  simply  means  that  when  the  faithful  saints  depart 
this  life,  Jesus  comes  to  receive  them  into  His  Father’s 
house.  The  experience  of  Deacon  Stephen,  the  first 
Christian  martyr,  is  an  exact  fulfilment  of  this  promise. 
When  the  rulers  gnashed  upon  Stephen  with  their  teeth, 
he  “  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  looked  steadfastly 
into  heaven  and  saw  the  glory  of  God  and  Jesus  stand¬ 
ing  on  the  right  hand  of  God.”  (Acts  7 :  54,  55.)  The 
vision  of  Stephen  was  of  the  glorified  Jesus  prepared  to 
come  and  receive  him  into  the  prepared  place,  when  the 
enemy  death  had  done  his  work.  It  is  not  an  uncom¬ 
mon  thing  for  dying  Christians  to  report  to  their 
watching  friends  that  they  have  visions  of  their  Lord 
coming  to  meet  them.  This  interpretation  of  the  prom¬ 
ise  of  Jesus  is  a  great  source  of  consolation  to  the  suf¬ 
fering  saint  who  is  approaching  the  dark  valley  of 
death. 

While  the  promise,  “  I  will  come  again,”  in  this  pas¬ 
sage  may  not  be  strictly  confined  to  the  Lord’s  recep¬ 
tion  of  the  d}dng  saint,  there  is  nothing  in  its  connec¬ 
tions  to  warrant  the;  millennial  interpretation  that 
Jesus  meant  He  would  come  again  at  the  end  of  the 
gospel  age  and  prepare  this  earth  as  a  dwelling  place 
for  the  saints.  The  place  in  the  many  mansions  was 
the  place  to  which  He  was  going  immediately.  Jesus 
went  into  heaven,  the  Father’s  house.  It  is  here  that 
He  now  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  God  to  make  inter¬ 
cession  for  transgressors.  It  is  from  thence  He  comes 
to  receive  His  disciples  unto  Himself.  When  the  disci¬ 
ples  depart  this  life  they  will  go  to  be  with  J esus.  This 
was  the  hope  and  desire  of  Paul.  The  draw  of  the 
heavenly  home  upon  his  heartstrings  was  so  great  that 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


217 


he  was  “  in  a  strait  betwixt  two  ”  and  knew  not  which 
was  the  better,  to  remain  in  the  Lord’s  work  with  His 
friends  on  earth,  or  to  enter  the  communion  of  the  saints 
in  heaven.  He  said,  “  For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and 
to  die  is  gain.  But  if  I  live  in  the  flesh  this  is  the  fruit 
of  my  labor.  Yet  what  I  shall  choose  I  wot  not.  For 
I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to  depart, 
and  to  be  with  Christ ;  which  is  far  better :  nevertheless 
to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for  you.”  (Phil. 
1 : 21-24) 

3.  The  Coming  of  the  Lord  at  the  Destruction  of 

J  erusalem 

In  the  poetry  and  prophecy  of  the  Jews,  great  dem¬ 
onstrations  of  power,  whether  of  national  victory  or 
defeat,  were  ascribed  to  a  coming,  appearance,  or  pres¬ 
ence  of  the  Lord.  When  King  David  celebrated  his 
grand  victory  over  the  Philistines  and  gave  thanks  for 
his  deliverance  from  the  enemy,  he  sang: 

•Then  the  earth  shook  and  trembled;  the  foundations  of 
heaven  moved  and  shook,  because  He  (God)  was  wroth. 
There  went  up  smoke  out  of  His  nostrils,  and  fire  out  of 
His  mouth  devoured,  coals  were  kindled  by  it.  He  bowed 
the  heavens  also  and  came  down,  and  darkness  was  under 
His  feet.  And  He  rode  upon  a  cherub  and  did  fly:  and 
He  was  seen  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind.  And  He  made 
darkness  pavilions  round  about  Him,  dark  waters  and  thick 
clouds  of  the  sky.  (2  Sam.  22:8—12;  Psa.  18:7-14.) 

This  is  clearly  the  hyperbole  expressed  in  poetical 
imagery  —  a  literary  license  common  to  all  languages, 
but  quite  characteristic  of  the  Hebrew.  Here  is  an¬ 
other  passage: 

The  Lord  reigneth;  let  the  earth  rejoice,  let  the  multi- 


218  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


tude  of  the  isles  be  glad  thereof.  Clouds  and  darkness 
are  round  about  Him:  righteousness  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  His  throne.  A  fire  goeth  before  Him  and 
burnetii  up  His  enemies  round  about  Him.  His  lightnings 
enlighten  the  world:  the  earth  saw  and  trembled.  The 
hills  melted  like  wax  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  at  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth.  (Psa.  97 :  1-5.) 

This  poetical  imagery  permeates  the  writings  of  the 
prophets.  It  was  from  these  characteristic  figures  of 
their  national  literature  that  both  Jesus  and  His  dis¬ 
ciples  drew  their  startling  figures  to  set  forth  the  bless¬ 
ings  and  judgments  of  God.  Hence,  it  was  natural 
for  them  to  call  any  national  calamity,  “  a  coming  ”  or 
44  day  of  the  Lord.”  These  facts  must  be  given  due  con¬ 
sideration  in  every  interpretation  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  particularly  in  the  study  of  eschatology.  This 
apocalyptic  style  is  very  marked  in  the  teaching  of 
Jesus,  especially  in  Matthew’s  report  of  his  predic¬ 
tions  of  the  end  of  the  world,  and  the  coming  of  Christ, 
given  in  the  twenty-fourth  chapter  of  his  gospel. 

Some  consider  this  chapter  a  mosaic  of  the  sayings 
of  Jesus,  grouped  by  Matthew  for  a  specific  purpose. 
If  so,  it  is  impossible  to  separate  the  parts  and  assign 
them  to  their  original  setting  with  any  degree  of  suc¬ 
cess.  The  prophetic  parts  of  the  chapter  run  out 
into  the  parables  of  warning  and  judgment,  in  the 
twenty-fifth  chapter,  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  ap¬ 
pear,  at  least,  that  they  all  formed  a  continuous  dis¬ 
course.  If  the  chapter  is  a  mosaic,  Matthew  grouped 
these  materials  in  a  very  skilful  way  for  the  purpose  of 
presenting  the  teaching  of  Jesus  on  the  judgments  of 
God  in  the  most  impressive  and  emphatic  manner.  He 
begins  with  the  divine  judgment  against  rebellious  Je¬ 
rusalem*  and  the  apostate  Jewish  nation.  The  setting 


Jesus  Coming  Again  219 

of  the  scene  is  in  itself  very  imposing.  It  was  the 
evening  before  the  great  paschal  day.  Jesus  had  de^ 
nounced  the  heartlessness  of  “  the  Scribes,  Pharisees, 
hypocrites  ”  in  the  most  vehement  and  condemnatory] 
language.  (Matt.  2S.)  He  closed  His  denunciation 
with  this  striking  apostrophe : 

O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets 
and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would 
I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  as  a  hen  gathereth 
her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !  Behold, 
your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate.  For  I  say  unto  you. 
Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth,  till  ye  shall  say,  “  Blessed 
is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,”  (Matt.  23: 
37-39.) 

“  And  Jesus  went  out  and  departed  from  the  temple.” 
His  disciples,  deeply  impressed  by  this  strange  lan¬ 
guage,  and  imbued  with  the  national  hope  of  a  fully 
restored  Davidic  kingdom,  could  not  think  of  their 
holy  city  and  temple  being  left  desolate.  They  came 
to  Jesus  and  called  His  attention  to  the  grandeur  of 
the  temple.  It  must  have  been  a  great  shock  to  them 
when  He  replied :  “  See  ye  not  all  these  things  ? 

Verily  I  say  unto  you,  there  shall  not  be  left  here  one 
stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down.” 
It  must  have  been  a  quiet  thoughtful  walk  out  of  the 
city  and  to  the  top  of  Olivet.  These  startling 
statements  of  Jesus  would  awaken  new  questions  in 
the  minds  of  the  disciples  and  send  mingled  emotions 
surging  through  their  souls.  Having  reached  the 
height  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  on  the  Bethany  road 
where  the  temple  was  in  full  view,  and  its  splendid 
domes  and  spires  of  white  and  gold  glistened  in  the 
setting  sun,  these  worried  disciples  came  to  Jesus  and 
asked  Him,  “  Tell  us  when  shall  these  things  be?  What 


220  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

shall,  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming  and  the  end  of  the 
world.”  (Matt.  24:  1—3.) 

The  nature  and  scope  of  the  answer  to  this  threefold 
question  must  be  largely  determined  by  the  circum¬ 
stances  and  intention;  of  what  prompted  it.  While 
these  disciples  were  confidently  expecting  the  end  of  the 
age  under  the  law  when  the  Messiah  entered  upon  His 
kingdom  is  very  evident ;  but  they  had  never  for  a  mo¬ 
ment  associated  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  its 
temple  with  the  realization  of  the  Messianic  hope. 
Their  confused  condition  of  mind  would  naturally  ac¬ 
count  for  the  form  of  their  questions. 

The  ordinary  English  reader  might  take  it  for 
granted,  that  by  44  the  end  of  the  world  ”  they  meant 
the  end  of  time,  and  the  material  universe.  The  Greek 
student,  however,  knows  that  the  language  used,  teo 
sunteleias  ton  aionos ,  has  no  such  meaning.  It  simply 
means  the  completion  of  the  age  or  dispensation. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  they  had  in  mind  the  end  of 
the  gospel  age,  that  is,  the  age  under  the  Messiah. 
They  were  still  expecting  that  age  to  begin,  but  they 
believed  before  this  could  be  accomplished  the  king¬ 
dom  of  Israel  must  be  restored.  That  would  bring  to 
an  end  the  age  under  the  law.  It  was  doubtless  this 
that  they  had  in  view.  44  When  will  these  things  be  ?  ” 
was  their  anxious  inquiry.  The  44  these  things  ”  were 
certainly  the  executing  of  the  44  woes  upon  the  Scribes, 
Pharisees,  hypocrites,”  the  desolation  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  temple.  Their 
knowledge  of  Old  Testament  imagery  in  the  description 
of  great  providential  happenings  and  national  catas¬ 
trophes,  and  particularly  the  statements  of  Jesus, 
would  naturally  lead  them  to  associate  this  predicted 
catastrophe  to  their  own  capital  city,  with  the  com- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


221 


ing  of  Christ.  They  therefore,  in  true  Jewish  fashion, 
asked  for  a  sign  of  His  coming.  We  thus  have  the 
situation  before  us  for  a  study  of  the  dramatic  answer 
of  Jesus.  The  minds  of  these  anxious  disciples  were 
not  occupied  with  possible  events  in  the  far  distant 
future.  They  were  entirely  under  the  spell  of  the  an¬ 
nouncement  of  pending  disaster,  and  were  very  solic¬ 
itous  to  know  what  was  going  to  happen  in  their  time. 

Jesus  in  a  very  serious  and  guarded  manner  pro¬ 
ceeded  to  enlighten  them  on  44  these  things.”  He  first 
warned  them  against  deceptions  and  false  prophets. 
He  said,  44  Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive  you.  For 
many  shall  come  in  my  name,  sa}dng,  6 1  am  Christ,’  and 
i  shall  deceive  many.”  (Matt.  24:5.)  This  warning  is 
as  pertinent  and  important  in  these  days  as  it  was  then. 
Many  rise  up  with  fanciful  theories  and  peculiar  inter¬ 
pretations  of  these  very  scriptures,  claiming  special 
divine  illumination,  and  thus  impose  upon  the  credulous. 
Even  in  the  days  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles,  false 
Christs  did  arise  and  deceive  multitudes.  We  read  in 
the  early  part  of  the  Acts  of  one  Theudas  who  44  boasted 
himself  to  be  something.”  (Acts  5:36,  37.)  Also  of 
Judas  of  Galilee,  44  Who  drew  away  much  people,”  and 
of  an  Egyptian,  who  in  the  days  of  Paul,  44  led  out  into 
the  wilderness  four  thousand  men.”  (Acts  21:38.) 
The  Apostle  John  in  his  first  Epistle  wrote,  44  Even 
now  are  there  many  anti-Christs,  whereby  we  know  that 
it  is  the  last  time.”  (1  John  2:  18.) 

Jesus  also  warned  against  hasty  and  precipitate 
conclusions,  saying,  44  And  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and 
rumours  of  wars:  see  that  ye  be  not  troubled:  for  all 
these  things  must  conie  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet. 
For  nation  shall  rise  up  against  nation,  and  kingdom 
against  kingdom;  and  there  shall  be  famine,  and  pesti- 


822  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

lence,  and  earthquakes  in  divers  places.  All  these  are 
the  beginning  of  sorrow.”  (Matt.  24:6,  7.)  Millen- 
nialists  seize  upon  these  predictions  as  indicating  the 
present  war;  and  as  unquestionable  proof  that  the  end 
of  the  world  is  at  hand,  and  base  thereon  fervid  warn¬ 
ings  and  exhortations.  In  fact,  these  predictions  have 
done  duty  in  every  war  period  of  the  Christian  era. 
The  would-be  prophets  have  been  so  often  confounded 
by  historyj  that  one  would  think  they  would  them¬ 
selves  begin  to  question  the  reliability  of  their  inter¬ 
pretations.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  is  not  a  pre¬ 
diction  of  twentieth  century  wars  at  all,  but  of  the 
disastrous  wars  that  were  pending  at  that  time,  and 
which  resulted  in  the  complete  destruction  of  Jeru¬ 
salem  and  the  final  breaking  up  of  the  Jewish  nation. 
The  record  of  these  wars  given  by  Josephus  and  others 
is  an  exact  fulfilment  of  this  prediction.  Famines  and 
pestilence  abounded.  The  writer  of  the  Acts  mentioned 
a  widespread  and  trying  famine.  “  And  there  stood  up 
one  of  them  named  Agabus,  and  signified  by  the  spirit, 
that  there  should  be  great  dearth  throughout  all  the 
world ;  which  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Claudius 
Caesar.”  (Acts  11.  28.) 

Jesus  furthermore  told  these  anxious  disciples  of  the 
hatred  and  persecution  that  would  be  heaped  upon  them 
personally,  and  upon  all  who  would  believe  on  Him. 
“  Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted,  and 
shall  kill  you:  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations  for 
my  name’s  sake.  And  then  shall  many  be  offended  and 
betray  one  another,  and  shall  hate  one  another,  and 
many  false  prophets  shall  arise  and  deceive  many,  and 
because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall 
wax  cold.  But  he  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be 
saved.”  (Matt.  24:  £4-13.) 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


223 


Any  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  New  Testament 
knows  how  frequentty  Jesus  warned  His  disciples  of  the 
persecutions  their  mission  would  excite,  and  how 
quickly  after  Pentecost  the  persecutors  got  to  work. 
Treachery  and  deception  even  entered  the  church  and 
there  was  backsliding  and  apostasy.  All  this  hap¬ 
pened  in  the  time  of  the  apostles.  In  these  matters, 
also,  history  has  repeated  itself.  In  every  age  more 
or  less  of  this  persecuting,  vacillating  spirit  has  pre¬ 
vailed.  If  there  is  backsliding  and  apostasy  in  these 
modern  times,  it  only  proves  that  there  are  still  un¬ 
stable  and  self-seeking  people.  It  does  not  prove  that 
the  predictions  of  Jesus  have  regard  primarily  of  the 
twentieth  century. 

At  this  point  of  the  discourse,  many  meet  an  appar¬ 
ently  insuperable  difficulty  to  their  acceptance  of  our 
interpretation,  in  the  prediction,  “  This  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world,  for  a  wit¬ 
ness  unto  all  nations ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come.” 
(Matt.  24:14.)  They  say,  44  These  predictions  could 
not  have  meant  the  Jewish  wars,  and  the  trials  and 
persecutions  of  the  Apostolic  age  because  the  gospel 
has  not  yet  been  preached  in  all  the  world.”  It  is 
true,  of  course,  that  even  yet  the  vast  majority  of  the 
world’s  population  have  not  heard  the  gospel.  But, 
after  all,  is  this  objection  well  founded?  Are  we  jus¬ 
tified  in  taking  this,  or  any  other  scripture  prophecy 
out  of  its  connections,  historical  setting,  and  native 
atmosphere,  and  attempting  to  force  it  into  modern 
conditions?  The  moral  principles  and  lessons  of  the 
prophecies  are  eternal,  but  their  immediate  application 
and  fulfilment  are  another  thing.  We  are  now  con¬ 
cerned  with  the  application  and  actual  meaning  of  the 
predictions  of  Jesus. 


224<  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


The  known  geographical  extent  of  the  world  in  which 
Jesus  and  His  apostles  lived  was  very  much  more  limited 
than  the  world  in  which  we  live.  To  them,  the  world 
was  all  contained  within  the  boundaries  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  The  language  of  Jesus  would  be  fully  satis¬ 
fied  if  the  gospel  were  preached  throughout  the  countries 
under  the  rule  of  the  Caesars.  The  Greek  word  rendered 
world  is  oikoumene ,  derived  from  oik  os ,  a  house,  a  home. 
It  was  the  word  used  by  the  Greeks  to  describe  their 
homeland,  as  distinguished  from  the  countries  beyond 
its  borders.  Later  it  was  applied  to  the  Roman  Em¬ 
pire,  which  had  conquered  and  absorbed  the  land  of 
the  Greeks.  It  was  not  until  the  church  began  to  call 
the  Ecumenical  councils,  formulate  its  creeds,  and  issue 
its  universal  decrees,  that  the  meaning  was  extended 
to  “  the  habitable  globe.” 

In  the  New  Testament,  it  meant  the  world  as  then 
known,  which  was  the  Roman  Empire.  It  was  strictly 
in  this  sense  that  Luke  used  it.  He  wrote,  “  And  it 
came  to  pass  in  those  days  that  there  went  out  a  decree 
from  Caesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world  ( oikoumenen ) 
should  be  taxed.”  (Luke  8: 1.) 

Caesar  Augustus  was  Emperor  of  Rome.  It  is  very 
evident  that  his  power  to  tax  would  be  confined  to  his 
own  empire.  We  are,  therefore,  forced  to  the  con¬ 
clusion,  that  in  this  case  the  phrase,  “  all  the  world,” 
was  restricted  to  the  homeland  of  the  Romans,  or  to 
“  our  own  country,”  which  is  the  literal  and  primary 
meaning  of  oikoumene . 

“  This  gospel  of  the  kingdom  was  preached  in  all  the 
world  ( en  ole  te  oikoumene )  for  a  testimony  to  all  the 
Gentiles  ”  (eio  martyrion  pasan  tots  ethnesin ), 
Ethnon ,  of  which  ethnesin  is  pi.  dative,  rendered 
“  nations,”  in  this  text,  is  the  one  word  used  for  Gen- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


225 


tiles  throughout  the  New  Testament.  In  a  few  pas¬ 
sages,  the  proper  name  Hellenes ,  Greeks,  is  rendered 
Gentiles ,  but  this  word  is  never  used  by  the  synoptic 
writers,  for  Gentiles,  or  nations.  In  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  nations  and  Gentiles  are  synonymous.  There¬ 
fore,  we  are  only  giving  the  natural  and  consistent 
meaning  when  we  translate,  66  For  a  testimony  to  all 
the  Gentiles.” 

It  is  both  interesting  and  illuminating  to  study  the 
extension  and  development  of  the  kingdom  under  apos¬ 
tolic  preaching.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  there  were 
at  Jerusalem,  celebrating  the  feast,  representatives  of 
every  part  of  the  Roman  Empire,  of  66  all  the  world,” 
and  they  all  heard  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  preached 
in  their  own  tongues  (Acts  2:9-11)  and  three  thou¬ 
sand  were  converted  and  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.  (Acts  2:38.)  We  might  stop  here  and  say 
with  all  truthfulness  the  prediction  is  fulfilled,  but  this 
was  only  the  beginning  of  the  work.  How  many  of 
these  Pentecostal  converts  became  witnesses  of  the  gos¬ 
pel  in  their  distant  home  town,  we  have  no  way  of 
knowing.  But  the  converted  Ethiopian  eunuch  (Acts 
8:29—39)  carried  the  glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  into 
Africa.  Paul  mentions  going  to  Spain  (Rom.  15:  28), 
and  it  is  claimed  he  visited  the  British  Isles  and  preached 
the  gospel.  Some  of  the  early  disciples  went  to  Baby¬ 
lon  ( 1  Pet.  5 : 13)  and  farther  east.  It  is  also  claimed 
that  evidences  are  found  in  China  of  Christian  mission¬ 
ary  work  there  by  Barnabas,  the  companion  of  Paul. 
Luke  records  that  at  the  time  of  Stephen’s  martyrdom, 
a  great  persecution  arose  against  the  church  and  scat¬ 
tered  the  disciples.  And  £<  they  that  were  scattered 
abroad  went  everywhere  preaching  the  gospel.”  (Acts 
8: 1-4.)  Paul  in  his  epistle  to  the  Romans  says,  “  Yes 


226  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


verily,  their  sound  went  into  all  the  earth  (pas an  te  ge) 
and  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world  ”  ( eis  per  at  a 
teo  oikomnenes).  (Romans  10:18.)  When  writing 
to  the  Colossians,  Paul  gave  thanks  that  the  gospel 
had  come  unto  them  46  even  as  also  in  all  the  world  ” 
( en  panti  to  kosmo ).  (Col.  1 :  3—6.)  Here  we  have  a 
different  word  for  world,  kosmos ,  which  has  a  wider 
meaning  than  the  word  used  by  Matthew.  As  Paul 
proceeded  to  set  forth  the  superlative  principles  of  the 
gospel,  he  exhorted  the  Colossians  44  not  to  be  moved 
away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel,  which  ye  have  heard, 
and  which  was  preached  to  every  creature  under 
heaven.”  (Col.  1:23.)  Or,  as  the  Revised  Version 
gives  it,  44  In  all  creation  under  heaven.”  This  is  a 
44  Hebraism  for  the  whole  human  race,  and  particularly 
referring  to  the  two  grand  divisions  of  mankind  ”  (Dr. 
A.  Clark’s  Commentary )  :  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles. 
Thus  the  Apostles  were  obedient  to  the  great  commis¬ 
sion  and  went  44  into  all  the  world,  and  preached  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.”  (Mark  16:15.)  Previ¬ 
ously  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  the  gospel  was 
not  only  preached  in  lesser  Asia  and  Greece  and  Italy, 
the  greatest  theatres  of  the  world,  but  was  likewise 
propagated  as  far  north  as  Scythia,  as  far  south  as 
Ethiopia,  as  far  east  as  Parthia  and  India,  and  as  far 
west  as  Spain  and  Britain.”  (Dr.  A.  Clark  on  Matt. 
24: 14.) 

The  disciples  had  asked  for  a  sign  by  which  they 
might  know  the  time  of  44  these  things  ”  and  of  His 
coming.  (Matt.  24:3.)  This  first  sign  was  worked 
out  by  them.  Another  sign  by  which  they  might  know 
that  the  end  had  come,  was,  44  When  ye  therefore  shall 
see  the  abomination  of  desolation,  spoken  of  by  Daniel 


Jesus  Cowling  Again 


227 

the  Prophet,  stand  in  the  holy  place,  (whoso  readeth 
let  him  understand),  then  let  them  which  be  in  Judea 
flee  to  the  mountains.”  (Matt.  24: 15,  16.) 

Daniel’s  predictions  of  “  the  abomination  of  desola¬ 
tion  standing  in  the  holy  place  ”  are  found  in  the  ninth, 
eleventh,  and  twelfth  chapters  of  his  prophecy.  Vari¬ 
ous  schemes  of  computing  the  days  and  weeks  of  Daniel 
have  been  adopted  to  make  them  work  out  the  time  of 
the  second  coming  of  Christ.  The  most  notable  fact 
about  these  schemes  of  reckoning  is  the  general  and 
particular  manner  in  which  they  have  been  disproved  by 
the  correcting  hand  of  the  passing  years.  This  should 
be  sufficient  to  put  on  guard  all  sincere  seekers  after 
truth. 

The  most  important  feature  of  this  prophecy  is  not 
the  times  indicated  but  the  desolating  abomination  sub¬ 
stituted  for  the  daily  sacrifice.  (Daniel  9:27;  11:31; 
12:11.)  “Reams  of  conjecture  and  dubious  history 
and  imaginative  chronology  have  been  expended  upon 
the  effort  to  give  any  interpretation  of  these  precise 
data  which  can  pretend  to  the  dignity  of  firm  and  scien¬ 
tific  exegesis.”  (Expositor’s  Bible,  p.  431.)  As  we 
now  study  prophecy  and  its  fulfilment,  we  must  take 
into  consideration  the  unquestionable  facts  of  history. 
Even  in  this  we  must  not  forget  that  the  dominating 
factor  is  not  the  historical  events  but  the  moral  prin¬ 
ciples  and  spiritual  forces  that  influence  and  govern  the 
situation.  The  primary  function  of  the  prophets  was 
not  to  foretell  future  events  or  disclose  the  detailed 
plans  of  God  for  the  government  of  the  world,  but  to 
teach  their  own  generation  the  divine  will  and  the  oper¬ 
ations  of  infinite  mercy  and  justice.  Therefore,  they 
dealt  with  present  conditions  and  prospects  in  the  light 


228  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


of  divine  revelation,  and  laid  down  eternal  moral  prin¬ 
ciples  that  would  determine  future  developments.  That 
is,  the  moral  conditions  that  made  for  weal  or  woe  in 
the  nation  at  the  time  the  prophecies  were  spoken,  will 
make  for  weal  or  woe  in  any  and  every  nation  to  the  end 
of  the  ages.  Moral  principles  with  their  penalties  and 
blessings  are  inflexible  and  irrevocable ;  they  never  vary 
in  their  results.  The  appeal  of  Moses  in  his  farewell 
to  Israel  is  the  ultimatum  of  the  unchanging  God  that 
rings  clearly  and  distinctly  down  through  the  ages  of 
all  time.  (Deu.  30:15-20.)  In  thus  declaring  the 
law  of  the  Lord  they  did  penetrate  the  veil  of  the  fu¬ 
ture  and  foretell  coming  events.  As  we  have  noticed 
above,  some  of  these  predictions  have  more  than  a  single 
fulfilment  in  the  repetitions  of  history.  For  instance, 
this  prophecy  of  Daniel  concerning  the  cutting  off  of 
the  daily  sacrifice,  and  the  “  abomination  that  makes 
desolate  standing  in  the  place  where  it  ought  not  ”  was 
literally  fulfilled  by  the  defilement  of  the  temple  under 
Antiochus  Epiphanes.  The  account  of  the  overthrow 
of  Jerusalem  and  the  atrocities  of  this  blasphemous  king 
of  Syria  are  graphically  described  in  the  books  of  the 
Maccabees.  In  this  account  of  the  actual  events,  the 
language  of  Daniel  is  used.  <e  Now  the  fifteenth  day 
of  the  month  Casleu,  in  the  hundred  and  forty  and  fifth 
year,  they  set  up  the  abomination  of  desolation  upon 
the  altar,  and  built  idol  altars  throughout  Judea  on 
every  side:  and  burnt  incense  at  the  doors  of  their 
houses  and  in  the  streets.”  (1  Maccabees  1 :  54,  55.) 

The  people  of  those  times,  about  B.C.  170,  consid¬ 
ered  this  profanation  of  the  temple  and  the  deter¬ 
mined  effort  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  to  utterly  destroy 
the  J ewish  religion,  an  exact  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy 
of  Daniel.  It  was  again  fulfilled  when  the  Homan 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


229 


legions  under  T.  Flavius  Vespasianus  and  Titus  sur¬ 
rounded  Jerusalem  in  the  year  70  A.D.  and,  true  to  the 
prediction  of  Jesus,  laid  her  walls  even  with  the  ground, 
and  did  not  leave  one  stone  of  the  temple  upon  another. 
The  66  abomination  of  desolation  standing  in  the  holy 
place  ”  was  the  pagan  Roman  ensign  that  desecrated  the 
sanctuary,  and  the  pagan  orgies  held  in  the  sacred 
courts.  This  was  the  sign  of  the  end  from  which  the 
disciples  were  to  take  warning  and  flee  to  the  mountains. 
The  attempt  of  millennialists  to  picture  a  fanciful  scene 
in  the  still  unknown  future  when  the  Abomination  of 
desolation  ”  spoken  of  by  Daniel  will  stand  in  the  holy 
place  in  Jerusalem  as  a  sign  of  the  second  coming  of 
Jesus  to  set  up  a  millennial  kingdom,  is  not  only  unwar¬ 
ranted  by  the  text,  but  perverts  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
and  sets  aside  the  known  facts  of  history.  This  sign 
given  by  Jesus  was  not  to  an  unknown  generation 
that  would  live  on  the  earth  two  or  -more  thousand 
years  after  His  time,  but  to  those  disciples  that  had 
questioned  Him  about  “  these  things  ”  and  were  hang¬ 
ing  on  His  every  word.  It  was  to  them  He  gave  the 
warning,  “  Then  let  them  which  be  in  Judea  flee  into 
the  mountains.”  History  tells  us  that  at  this  siege  by 
the  Romans,  a  very  remarkable  and  providential  thing 
happened.  After  the  siege  had  lasted  for  a  consider¬ 
able  time,  and  conditions  in  the  city  were  becoming  un¬ 
endurable,  Emperor  Nero  died,  and  Vespasianus,  the 
general  conducting  the  siege,  hastened  to  Rome  to  per¬ 
sonally  push  his  aspirations  as  successor  to  the  im¬ 
perial  throne ;  his  son  Titus  came  to  complete  the  work 
and  force  Jerusalem  into  subjection.  While  Titus  was 
approaching  with  his  army,  Governor  Cestius  Gallus 
raised  the  siege  and  gave  the  city  a  few  days’  respite. 
The  disciples  of  Jesus,  remembering  the  warning  of 


230  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


their  Lord,  improved  this  opportunity  to  escape  from 
the  beleaguered  city,  and  fled  in  a  body  for  safety  to 
the  village  of  Pella,  and  other  places  beyond  the  Jor¬ 
dan.  (Dr.  Smith’s  New  Testament  History ,  p.  129.) 
Thus,  this  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans 
fulfilled  the  prophecies  of  Jesus  in  every  detail,  and  the 
Holy  City  and  Temple  have  never  been  restored. 

The  specific  cautions  against  deception  by  pretended 
Christs  are  especially  set  to  the  times  of  the  apostles 
and  immediately  following,  but  they  are  also  applicable 
to  all  times.  They  serve  as  a  caution  in  our  day 
against  the  religious  pretenders  who  dangle  before  a 
credulous  people  high  pretensions  of  special  divine  illu¬ 
mination  by  which  they  are  able  to  tell  what  will  be 
hereafter,  and  outline  a  detailed  eschatological  program 
that  the  infinite  God  must  follow. 

Much  stress  is  laid  upon  the  predictions  of  “  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,”  as  proof  that  Jesus  is  pre¬ 
dicting  His  second  coming,  to  set  up  His  millennial 
kingdom.  There  may  be  involved  in  this  series  of  pre¬ 
dictions  an  intimation  of  the  final  coming  of  Jesus  to 
judgment;  but  undoubtedly  the  immediate  coming  that 
Jesus  was  urging,  was  in  connection  with  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  Jerusalem  and  the  ending  of  the  Mosaic  polity. 

The  millennialists  cite  the  passages,  “  For  as  the 
lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  even  unto 
the  west;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man 
be  ”  (Matt.  24  :  27),  and  also  “  Then  shall  appeal*  also 
the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven:  then  shall  the 
tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of 
Man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and 
great  glory.”  (Matt.  24:30.)  This  they  urge  must 
be  a  personal,  bodily  coming,  or  parousia  of  Jesus, 
which  was  not  at  all  realized  at  the  destruction  of  Je- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


231 


rusalem.  This  claim  calls  for  a  very  careful  analysis 
of  these  passages  and  their  connections. 

A  detailed  examination  of  the  figures  and  predictions 
of  these  passages  in  the  light  of  parallel  scriptures, 
which  are  unmistakable  in  their  meaning  and  applica¬ 
tion,  is  the  surest  way  to  determine  the  meaning  of 
Jesus.  This  the  millennialists  fail  to  do.  Instead, 
they  press  upon  the  language  a  fanciful  meaning,  suit¬ 
ing  their  accepted  theory,  and  then  fill  in  the  details 
of  an  elaborate  system  of  eschatological  happenings 
beyond  anything  that  is  revealed. 

The  question  of  first  importance  is,  Does  the  predic¬ 
tion  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  these  passages 
refer  exclusively,  or  even  remotely,  to  the  so-called  sec¬ 
ond  coming  of  Jesus  to  set  up  a  millennial  kingdom? 
Or  to  state  it  a  little  differently,  Did  these  disciples 
to  whom  Jesus  was  so  seriously  and  graphically  dis¬ 
closing  the  approaching  destruction  of  Jerusalem  un¬ 
derstand  Him  to  be  predicting  a  personal  return  to 
earth  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  that  catastrophe, 
and  was  so  many  thousand  years  in  the  future  that  it 
could  have  no  possible  point  of  contact  with  their 
earthly  experience  and  work?  The  very  fact  that 
Matthew  so  closely  connects  these  statements  with  the 
predicted  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  is  evidence  that  the 
disciples  understood  46  the  coming,  or  parousia ,  of  the 
Son  of  Man  ”  in  some  way  to  coincide  with  that  great 
catastrophe.  The  statement, 44  As  the  lightning  cometh 
out  of  the  east  and  shineth  unto  the  west:  so  also  shall 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be”  (Matt.  24:27),  is 
figurative  and  must  be  interpreted  in  the  light  of  Bible 
imagery.  Dr.  Adam  Clark’s  Commentary  says : 


It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  our  Lord  in  the  most  particu- 


232  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


lar  manner  points  ont  the  very  march  of  the  Roman  Army. 
They  entered  Judea  from  the  east ,  and  carried  on  their 
conquest  westward,  as  if  not  only  the  extensiveness  of  the 
ruin,  but  the  very  route  which  the  army  would  take,  were 
intended  in  the  comparison  of  the  lightning  issuing  from  the 
east  and  shining  to  the  west. 

To  millennialist  interpreters,  it  may  seem  very  sacri¬ 
legious  to  suggest  that  the  Son  of  Man  came  with  the 
Roman  Army  to  besiege  Jerusalem,  but  the  commen¬ 
tator,  Dr.  Adam  Clark,  was  one  of  the  most  reverent 
and  devout  commentators.  Furthermore,  in  the  long 
list  of  premillennialist  preachers  and  commentators 
given  in  the  report  of  the  premillennial  convention  held 
in  Chicago  in  1914,  Dr.  Clark  is  listed  as  a  premillen- 
narian,  which  should  qualify  him  for  at  least  a  hearing 
as  an  orthodox  interpreter  of  scripture. 

They  say  that  “  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  is 
a  \ parowsia ,  a  real  presence.”  But  in  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment,  national  judgments  and  the  agency  of  destruc¬ 
tion  are  frequently  described  as  “  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.”  Therefore,  this  explanation  has  the  further 
merit  of  being  in  harmony  with  Jewish  prophecies  and 
apocalyptic  writings  generally.  The  destruction  of 
Israel’s  enemies  in  the  wilderness  journey  is  ascribed  to 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  in  these  strong  terms : 
“  The  earth  shook,  the  heavens  also  dropped  at  the 
presence  of  God:  even  Sinai  itself  was  moved  at  the 
presence  of  God,  the  God  of  Israel.”  (Psa.  68:8.) 
Again,  “  His  lightnings  enlightened  the  world :  the 
earth  saw,  and  trembled.  The  hills  melted  like  wax 
at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
of  the  whole  earth.”  (Psa.  97  :  4,  5.) 

Isaiah’s  prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Egypt  is 
in  language  almost  identical  with  this  prediction  of 


Jesus  Coming  Again  £33 

Jesus.  44  Behold,  the  Lord  rideth  upon  a  swift  cloud, 
and  shall  come  to  Egypt.”  (Isa.  19:  1.)  Jeremiah’s 
prediction  of  the  downfall  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem 
ascribes  the  destruction  to  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
when  the  armies  of  Nebuchadnezzar  were  the  agency. 
He  says,  44  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  the  fruitful  place  was  a 
wilderness,  and  all  the  cities  thereof  were  broken  down 
at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  by  His  fierce  anger.” 
(  Jer.  4  :  £6.) 

But,  ’  we  are  reminded,  44  there  is  the  great  tribu¬ 
lation,  such  as  the  world  never  saw.”  The  premillen- 
nial  program  divides  the  time  between  the  coming  of 
Christ  and  the  real  establishment  of  the  millennial  king¬ 
dom  into  the  Rapture  and  the  Revelation,  with  several 
subdivisions  according  to  the  special  illumination  of  the 
individual  writer,  and  fitted  into  the  scheme  between 
the  church  and  the  millennial  kingdom  is  the  tribulation 
of  the  saints.  This  is  what  they  usually  mean  when 
they  speak  of  44  the  tribulation.”  They  turn  to  the 
tribulation  predicted  by  Jesus  to  prove  their  program, 
and  assert  with  an  air  of  triumph  that  44  there  never 
has  been  a  tribulation  to  fulfil  these  prophecies.”  But 
there  is  such  a  very  strained  appearance  about  this  pro¬ 
gram  that  it  hardly  seems  natural  or  even  spiritual. 
It  makes  God  appear  such  an  eccentric,  arbitrary,  and 
autocratic  sovereign  that  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  any 
intelligent  person  could  love  and  worship  such  a  freak. 
The  tribulation  of  this  passage  is  so  linked  up  with  the 
predicted  destruction  of  the  Holy  City  that  it  cannot 
be  dissociated  from  it  by  any  legitimate  rules  of  exege¬ 
sis.  In  the  warning  for  the  disciples  to  flee  from  the 
city  when  they  saw  the  unmistakable  signs  of  its  doom, 
the  great  reason  for  the  urgency  and  haste  was,  44  For 
then  shall  there  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  was  not 


234  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time,  no,  nor 
ever  shall  be.”  (Matt.  24:21.)  Dr.  A.  Clark  says, 
“No  history  can  furnish  us  with  a  parallel  to  the  ca¬ 
lamities  and  miseries  of  the  Jews;  rapine,  murder, 
famine  and  pestilence  within;  fire,  and  sword  and  all 
the  horrors  of  war  without .  Our  Lord  wept  (Luke 
19:41—44)  at  the  foresight  of  these  calamities;  and  it 
is  almost  impossible  for  any  humane  person  to  read  the 
relation  of  them  by  Josephus  without  weeping  also.” 

“  Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days, 
shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give 
her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the 
powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  darkened.”  (Matt. 
24:29.)  These  startling  scenes  follow  immediately 
after  the  foregoing  catastrophes  and  tribulations,  and 
therefore  must  form  a  part  of  the  calamities.  The 
imagery  of  these  passages  is  doubtless  drawn  from  the 
Old  Testament  prophecies.  Isaiah  describes  the  pend¬ 
ing  destruction  of  Babylon  in  the  same  startling  figures, 
only  with  a  little  more  embellishment. 

Howl  ye;  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand;  it  shall  come 
as  a  destruction  from  the  Almighty.  Therefore,  shall  all 
hands  be  faint,  and  every  man’s  heart  shall  melt:  and  they 
shall  be  afraid;  pangs  and  sorrow  shall  take  hold  of  them; 
they  shall  be  in  pain  as  a  woman  that  travaileth ;  they  shall 
be  amazed  one  at  another;  their  faces  shall  be  as  flames. 
Behold  the  day  of  the  Lord  cometh;  cruel  both  with  wrath 
and  fierce  anger,  to  lay  the  land  desolate:  and  he  shall 
destroy  the  sinners  thereof  out  of  it.  For  the  stars  of 
heaven  and  the  constellation  thereof  shall  not  give  their 
light;  the  sun  shall  be  darkened  in  his  going  forth,  and  the 
moon  shall  not  cause  her  light  to  shine.  (Isa.  13:6-10.) 

Here  is  the  tribulation ;  the  darkened  sun,  the  hidden 
moon,  and  the  fall  of  the  stars,  and  yet  the  prophet 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


235 


was  merely  predicting  the  overthrow  and  destruction  of 
Babylon,  whose  king  would  first  overthrow  Jerusalem 
and  destroy  the  Holy  Temple.  If  Isaiah  was  justified 
in  making  such  use  of  this  poetic  imagery,  then  Jesus 
was  perfectly  justified  in  applying  it  to  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans.  But  these  are  not  soli¬ 
tary  cases.  Isaiah  uses  the  same  figures  in  the  pre¬ 
dicted  destruction  of  Egypt.  (Isa.  19:1.)  Ezekiel 
also  prophesies  against  Egypt,  saying,  44  And  when 
I  shall  put  thee  out,  I  will  cover  the  heaven,  and  make 
the  stars  thereof  dark ;  I  will  cover  the  sun  with  a 
cloud,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light.  All  the 
bright  lights  of  heaven  will  I  make  dark  over  thee,  and 
set  darkness  upon  thy  land.”  (Ezek.  32 :  7,  8.)  When 
Daniel  foretold  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  An- 
tiochus  Epiphanes,  44  the  little  horn  that  waxed  exceed¬ 
ing  great,”  he  said,  44  It  waxed  great  even  to  the  host 
of  heaven ;  and  it  cast  down  some  of  the  host  and  of  the 
stars  to  the  ground,  and  stamped  upon  them.”  (Dan. 
8:  10.)  No  one  could  for  a  moment  think  that  any 
king  of  earth  could  cast  down  either  the  44  hosts  of 
heaven  ”  or  the  stars  to  the  earth  and  stamp  upon  them. 
There  is  no  reason  to  think  that  the  darkening  of  the 
sun  and  moon  and  the  falling  of  the  stars  in  the  pic¬ 
turesque  language  of  Jesus  meant  any  more  than  did 
the  figures  of  the  major  prophets. 

There  is  one  other  prediction  foretelling  these  dis¬ 
turbances  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  which  sheds  light  upon 
our  subject,  because  its  application  is  so  definitely  made 
under  apostolic  preaching.  The  Lord  by  the  mouth  of 
the  prophet  Joel  said: 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  afterwards,  that  I  will  pour  out 
my  spirit  upon  all  flesh;  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters 


■  " . .  . . . . . .  *  M  . 

236  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  and  your 
young  men  shall  see  visions:  and  also  upon  the  servants 
and  the  handmaidens  in  those  days  will  I  pour  out  my 
spirit.  And  I  will  show  wonders  in  the  heavens  and  in 
the  earth,  blood  and  fire  and  pillars  of  smoke.  The  sun 
shall  be  turned  into  darkness  and  the  moon  into  blood,  be¬ 
fore  the  great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord  come.  And  it 
shall  come  to  pass  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord  shall  be  delivered:  for  in  Mount  Zion,  and  in 
Jerusalem  shall  be  deliverance,  as  the  Lord  hath  said,  and 
in  the  remnant  whom  the  .Lord  shall  call.  (Joel,  2:  28—32.) 

We  pause  to  inquire  diligently  the  meaning.  What 
is  this  great  and  notable  day  of  the  Lord  that  will 
so  convulse  nature,  and  create  these  startling  won¬ 
ders  in  earth  and  heaven?  We  are  led  to  Luke’s  ac¬ 
count  of  the  Day  of  Pentecost  when  “  the  promise  of 
the  Father  ”  (Acts  1 :  4)  was  fulfilled  and  the  wait¬ 
ing,  praying  disciples  were  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  fire.  Some  of  the  people  in  their 
amazement  questioned  the  meaning  of  this  miraculous 
demonstration  of  divine  power.  Those  who  felt  that 
they  must  justify  the  crucifixion  of  the  Master  of  these 
devout  disciples,  and  discredit  the  purity  and  sincerity 
of  their  testimony  of  the  reality  and  power  of  the  resur¬ 
rection  of  Jesus,  charged  them  with  drunkenness. 
“  But  Peter  standing  up  with  the  eleven  ”  repudiated 
the  accusation,  and  boldly  declared,  “  This  is  that  which 
was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel,  and  it  shall  come  to 
pass  in  the  last  days  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  my 
spirit  upon  all  flesh.”  (Acts  2:1—21.)  He  quoted 
in  full  the  passage  from  Joel,  detailing  the  great  exer¬ 
tions  of  divine  power,  and  its  startling  effects  upon 
heaven  and  earth,  even  to  the  darkened  sun,  the  bloody 
moon,  and  the  pillars  of  fire  and  smoke.  There  is  no 
intimation  that  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  or  connected 


-  -  - 

'  — 1 — — — — — — — i — — W—  II  ,  I  — — — — wmmmm — 

J esus  Coming  Again  237 

'  - - — — . . . . 

therewith  the  physical  heavens  were  so  disturbed  or 
that  this  physical  earth  was  so  enveloped  in  fire  and 
smoke.  We  are  told  that  at  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus 
seven  weeks  before,  the  sun  was  darkened  for  the  space 
of  three  hours  and  there  was  a  great  earthquake, 
but  there  is  no  evidence  that  Peter  was  referring  to 
these  events.  Even  these  disturbances  of  nature  did 
not  come  up  to  the  startling  commotions  of  this  6i  great 
and  notable  day  of  the  Lord.”  This  prophetical 
imagery  must  have  a  much  more  religious  significance 
than  is  indicated  by  any  physical  disturbances  of  the 
heavenly  bodies.  The  supreme  event  of  this  “  notable 
day  of  the  Lord  ”  was  the  outpouring  of  God’s  spirit 
upon  the  praying  disciples  and  the  first  preaching  of 
the  full  gospel  of  salvation  from  sin  through  the 
crucified,  risen,  and  exalted  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  The 
outstanding  promises  of  the  prophecy  of  Joel  and  its 
Pentecostal  fulfilment  are  “  The  pouring  out  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  the  prophesying  of  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  Israel,”  and  the  assurance  that 
u  Whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  saved.”  This  is  purely  religious.  It  is  certainly 
reasonable  to  expect  that  the  minor  details,  such  as 
the  darkening  of  the  sun  and  moon,  will  agree  with  the 
major  spiritual  demonstrations. 

When  we  group  these  various  prophecies  and  their 
fulfilment,  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that  the  language 
is  purely  figurative,  and  must  have  a  figurative  expla¬ 
nation.  We  get  the  key  from  the  apocalyptic  writ¬ 
ings  and  the  Rabbinical  teaching  of  the  Jews,  in  which 
the  religion  is  called  the  heavens,  and  the  civil  govern¬ 
ment  the  earth ;  also  the  religious  light  of  the  nation  is 
represented  by  the  sun,  the  civil  authority  by  the  moon, 
and  the  teachers  and  administrators  or  judges,  the 


238  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


stars.  In  all  the  great  national  catastrophes  predicted, 
both  the  civil  government  and  the  religion  of  the  con¬ 
quered  nation  were  supplanted  by  the  religion  and  gov¬ 
ernment  of  the  conquerors.  It  was  not  until  the  Roman 
Empire  asserted  its  rule  over  Asia,  that  the  people  were 
free  to  practise  their  national  religion  without  being 
compelled  to  subscribe  to  the  religion  of  their  overlords. 
In  the  inauguration  of  Christianity  and  the  preach¬ 
ing  of  salvation  by  Jesus,  there  was  commenced  a  reli¬ 
gious  revolution  that  would  darken  the  sun  not  only  of 
the  pagan  religions  but  also  of  Judaism,  and  the  civil 
governments  would  be  overthrown.  The  establish¬ 
ment  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  the  earth  would  set 
at  naught  the  religious  doctors  and  civil  judges  who 
set  themselves  against  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Thus  these 
figurative  representations  of  the  eclipses  of  the  sun  and 
moon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  were  evidently  intended 
to  point  out  the  fall  of  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  states 
of  Judea. 

With  these  facts  before  us,  we  return  to  our  Lord’s 
prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  con¬ 
clude  that  He  was  not  describing  convulsions  and 
eclipses  of  the  physical  heavens  and  earth,  but  the  over¬ 
throw  of  the  civil  and  religious  power  of  Judaism.  The 
comment  of  Dr.  Adam  Clark  supports  this  view.  He 
says,  “  Commentators  generally  understand  this,  and 
what  follows,  of  the  end  of  the  world  and  Christ’s  com¬ 
ing  to  judgment;  but  the  word  immediately  shows  that 
our  Lord  is  not  speaking  of  any  distant  event,  but  of 
something  immediately  consequent  on  calamities  already 
predicted:  and  that  must  be  the  destruction  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem.”  He  then  quotes  the  learned  Lightfoot,  66  The 
Jewish  heaven  shall  perish,  and  the  sun  and  moon  of 
its  glory  and  happiness  shall  be  darkened  —  brought 


Jesus  Coming  Again  239 

to  nothing.  The  sun  is  the  religion  of  the  church; 
the  moon  is  the  government  of  the  state;  and  the  stars 
are  the  judges  and  doctors  of  both.” 

How  completely  this  was  carried  out  in  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  Jerusalem  is  familiar  to  every  student  of  his¬ 
tory.  The  temple  with  all  its  religious  services,  offer¬ 
ings  and  sacrifices  was  destroyed,  and  the  Jewish  hier¬ 
archy  and  Mosaic  polity  were  ended,  which  marked 
“  the  end  of  the  world,”  or  the  completion  of  the  age 
under  the  law. 

The  succeeding  passages  present  serious  difficulties 
to  the  ordinary  reader.  The  millennialist  interpreters 
work  these  passages  industriously  to  prove  their  the¬ 
ories.  The  statements  are,  46  Then  shall  appear  the 
sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven:  and  then  shall  all 
the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn;  and  they  shall  see  the 
Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power 
and  great  glory.  And  He  shall  send  His  angels  with  a 
great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  to¬ 
gether  His  elect  from  the  four  winds,  and  from  one  end 
of  heaven  to  the  other.”  (Matt.  24:  30,  31.) 

We  are  still  dealing  with  the  prophetical  figures  of 
the  Old  Testament  and  the  poetical  imagery  of  apoc- 
atypse.  44  All  the  tribes  of  the  earth  ”  is  clearly  a 
Hebraism  for  all  the  Jews.  It  does  not  mean  44  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth.”  The  original  language  is,  pasa 
ai  phylai  tes  ges ,  literally,  44  all  the  tribes  of  the  land.” 
0  ge>  the  land ,  was  the  common  idiom  for  the  land  of 
Israel,  44  the  tribes  of  the  land  ”  were  the  tribes  of  Israel. 
It  is  true  that  O  ge  in  Greek  means  the  earth  in  general, 
but  it  is  also  used  in  a  restricted  sense  for  the  land ,  and 
is  frequently  used  to  mean  a  small  section.  The  ex¬ 
pression  before  us  has  its  counterpart  in  the  prophecy 
of  Zechariah.  44  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  great 


240 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


mourning  in  Jerusalem,  .  .  .  and  the  land  shall  mourn 
every  family  apart.”  (Zech.  12:11,  12.)  The  land 
here  certainly  means  the  land  of  Israel .  “  Then  shall 

appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven.”  <c  The 
plain  meaning  of  this  is,  that  the  destruction  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem  will  be  such  a  remarkable  instance  of  divine  venge¬ 
ance,  such  a  signal  manifestation  of  Christ’s  power  and 
glory,  that  all  the  Jewish  tribes  shall  mourn,  and  many 
will,  in  consequence  of  this  manifestation  of  God,  be  led 
to  acknowledge  Christ  and  his  religion.”  (Dr.  1A. 
Clark’s  Commentary .) 

“  They  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.”  Our  thought 
is  here  turned  back  to  Daniel’s  vision  of  the  four  beasts 
that  came  out  of  the  troubled  sea,  and  the  one  “  like 
unto  the  Son  of  Man  who  came  with  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  and  came  to  the  Ancient  of  Days”  (Dan.  7: 
13),  when  the  judgment  was  set  and  the  books  were 
opened. 

Who  that  is  guided  by  the  mere  words  would  doubt  that 
this  is  a  description  of  the  final  judgment?  And  yet  noth¬ 
ing  is  clearer  than  that  it  is  not,  but  a  description  of  a 
vast  temporal  judgment,  upon  organized  bodies  of  men,  for 
their  incurable  hostility  to  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
.  .  .  Comparing  this  with  our  Lord’s  words,  He  seems  to 
us  by  “  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  with  power 
and  great  glory,”  to  mean,  that  when  judicial  vengeance 
shall  once  have  been  executed  upon  Jerusalem,  and  the 
ground  thus  cleared  for  the  unobstructed  establishment  of 
His  own  kingdom,  His  true  regal  claims  shall  be  visibly 
and  gloriously  asserted  and  manifested.  See  on  Luke 
9:28  in  which  nearly  the  same  language  is  employed,  and 
where  it  can  hardly  be  understood  of  anything  else  than 
the  full  establishment  of .  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  (Jamieson,  Fausset,  and  Brown, 
Commentary,  Mark  18:  26.) 


Jesus  Coming  Again  £41 

The  figure  of  the  Lord  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  was  very  familiar  to  the  Jews,  who  would  not 
be  so  grievously  misled  by  it,  as  are  many  modern 
Christians.  The  Lord  frequently  appeared  44  unto 
Israel  in  a  cloud.”  (Ex.  14:19,  £0,  and  £4:15-18.) 
The  psalmist  sang,  44  The  Lord  rode  upon  a  cherub, 
and  did  fly :  yea,  He  did  fly  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind 
.  .  .  and  brightness  was  before  Him  and  thick  clouds 
passed  .  .  .  and  round  about  Him  were  thick  clouds 
of  the  skies.”  (Psalm  18:10— 1£.)  This  was  David’s 
poetic  rejoicing  and  thanksgiving  with  which  he  cele¬ 
brated  his  signal  victory  over  the  Philistines.  The 
prophecy  of  Egypt’s  destruction  is,  44  Behold,  the  Lord 
rideth  upon  a  swift  cloud  and  shall  come  to  Egypt: 
and  the  idols  shall  be  moved  at  His  presence.”  (Isa. 
19:1.)  This  language  has  a  striking  similarity  to 
Jesus’  prediction  of  the  parousia  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  One  is  therefore  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
poetical  and  prophetical  language  of  the  Scriptures 
when  he  accepts  the  prediction  of  Jesus  as  a  figurative 
description  of  a  great  national  catastrophe, —  a  politi¬ 
cal  and  religious  revolution  connected  with  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  Jerusalem  and  the  overthrow  of  the  temple. 

But,  we  are  asked,  in  great  surprise,  44  What  about 
the  angels  sent  forth  with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet 
to  gather  the  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end 
of  heaven  to  the  other?  ”  (Matt.  £4:  31.)  This,  they 
urge,  is  surely  the  coming  of  the  angels  with  the  trumpet 
of  God  at  the  last  day.  While,  like  all  prophecies, 
this  may  have  a  double  meaning,  one  more  immediate, 
dealing  with  present  conditions  and  pending  events ; 
and  one  more  remote  reaching  into  the  indefinite  future ; 
we  are  now  concerned  as  were  the  anxious  disciples, 
with  its  immediate  meaning  and  application.  Every 


24  2 


The  Kingdom*  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Greek  student  is  fully  aware  that  the  word  angel, 
Greek,  angelos ,  simply  means  a  messenger  of  any  kind. 
As  used  in  the  New  Testament  it  is  not  necessarily  a 
heavenly  or  divine  messenger.  Paul  called  his  trouble¬ 
some  thorn  in  the  flesh  an  angel  of  Satan,  Angelos 
Satan.  (2  Cor.  12:7.)  James  calls  the  spies  whom 
Rahab  hid  by  faith,  the  angels,  tons  angelous.  (James 
2:25.)  Malachi’s  prediction  of  John  the  Baptist  as 
quoted  by  Jesus  is,  44  Behold  I  send  my  angel  ( ton 
angelon  mow)  before  my  face.”  (Mai.  3:1;  Matt.  11 : 
12;  Mark  1:2;  Luke  7:27.)  Luke  also  calls  the  dis¬ 
ciples  of  John  angels,  saying,  44  And  when  the  angels 
{angelon)  of  John  departed.”  (Luke  7:24.)  The 
disciples  of  Jesus  were  also  called  angels.  “  Jesus 
steadfastly  set  His  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  and  sent 
His  angels  {angelous)  before  His  face.”  (Luke  9: 
51,  52.)  It  is,  therefore,  perfectly  legitimate  to  take 
angels  in  our  passage  to  mean  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
who  were  sent  into  all  the  world  to  make  disciples  of  all 
nations.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  the  trumpet 
call  to  repentance  and  peace  with  God.  It  was  by  this 
divine  summons  that  the  elect  from  the  four  winds  were 
gathered  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  How  like  the 
appeal  of  Isaiah,  44  Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  lift  up  thy 
voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  show  my  people  their  trans¬ 
gression  and  the  house  of  Jacob  their  sins.”  (Isa. 
58:  1.)  Thus  the  meaning  of  our  text  would  be,  44  He 
shall  send  His  angels  or  messengers,  His  apostles  and 
their  successors  in  the  ministry,  with  a  great  sounding 
trumpet ,  the  earnest,  affectionate  call  of  the  gospel  of 
peace,  life,  and  salvation.”  (Dr.  A.  Clark’s  Commen¬ 
tary.)  This  was  done  before  the  destruction  of  Je¬ 
rusalem,  and  converts  were  gathered  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  from  the  four  winds  of  heaven.  There  is,  there- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


£43 


—  ■  ■■  ■  -----  -  -  _■  -  -  . . 

fore,  no  reason  why  this  passage  should  not  be  inter¬ 
preted  in  harmony  with  all  that  precedes  it  in  this 
wonderful  prediction.  These  events  were  to  be  “  im¬ 
mediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days,”  which 
forbids  their  postponement  for  thousands  of  years. 
The  original  word  eultheos ,  from  eulthus ,  means 
straightway ,  forthwith ,  at  once;  and  no  amount  of 
sophistry  can  stretch  it  to  mean  events  which  are  yet 
in  the  unknown  future.  On  the  other  hand,  all  pro¬ 
phetic  language  and  the  history  of  the  times  point  to 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans  as  the 
great  judgment  predicted. 

This  interpretation  receives  more  decisive  confirma¬ 
tion  from  the  statement,  6i  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This 
generation  shall  not  pass  until  all  these  things  be  ful¬ 
filled.”  (Matt.  £4:34.)  The  millennialists  endeavor 
to  dispose  of  this  by  arguing  that  “  generation  means 
race”  and  the  Jewish  race  has  not  passed  away  but  has 
been  providentially  preserved  as  a  distinct  people 
throughout  the  passing  centuries,  and,  therefore,  this 
passage  is  proof  that  these  predictions  are  yet  unful¬ 
filled.  This,  however,  is  a  frail  thread  upon  which  to 
hang  such  a  ponderous  theory  as  the  millennial  reign. 
The  prediction  is,  “  This  generation  shall  not  pass 
away  until  all  these  things  be  fulfilled.”  If  generation 
be  taken  in  this  wider  sense,  it  would  not  prove  that 
“  these  things  ”  were  not  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
with  all  the  accompanying  calamities.  The  statement 
is  not  that  the  Jewish  race  will  pass  away  when  “  all 
these  things  are  fulfilled.”  Whatever  may,  or  may  not, 
be  the  future  of  the  Jewish  race,  there  are  some  things 
that  are  placed  beyond  the  limits  of  speculation,  and 
one  of  them  is  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  built 
upon  racial  lines.  6i  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons, 


244  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  God  and  worketh 
righteousness  is  accepted  of  Him.”  (Acts  10:  34,  35.) 

Again,  we  learn  from  history  that  44  all  these 
things  ”  were  fulfilled  in  the  time  of  the  generation  living 
when  Jesus  uttered  these  prophecies  from  Mount  Olivet. 
Finally,  generation  (Greek  genea)  meant  to  those  dis¬ 
ciples  what  it  means  to  us,  the  span  of  human  life. 
44  This  generation  ”  meant  the  people  then  living.  If 
a  more  extended  meaning  had  been  intended,  certainly  a 
qualifying  adjective  indicating  the  fact  would  have 
been  used.  The  demonstrative  this  confines  the  appli¬ 
cation  to  the  people  then  living.  Just  before  leaving 
the  temple  on  that  momentous  day,  Jesus  said,  44  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall  come  upon  this 
generation.”  (Matt.  23:26.)  He  was  pronouncing 
immediate  judgment  upon  the  44  Scribes,  Pharisees, 
hypocrites.”  If  He  had  meant  that  these  woes  would 
come  upon  the  descendants  of  these  people  thousands 
of  years  hence,  what  force  would  His  denunciations 
have  for  those  who  were  listening?  But  He  fixed  the 
application  to  the  people  He  was  addressing  by  His 
apostrophe,  44  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,”  and  foretold 
its  utter  destruction  which  took  place  only  forty  years 
afterward.  On  a  previous  occasion,  Jesus  said  to  His 
disciples,  44  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  there  be  some  stand¬ 
ing  here  that  shall  not  see  death  until  they  see  the  Son 
of  Man  coming  in  His  kingdom.”  (Matt.  16:28; 
Mark  9  :1;  Lke  9:  27.)  This  statement  presents  very 
peculiar  difficulties  to  the  millennial  interpreters.  If 
44  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  His  kingdom  ”  is 
still  future,  how  could  Jesus  say  44  there  are  some  stand¬ 
ing  here  who  shall  not  see  death  until  they  see  the  Son 
of  Man  coming  in  His  kingdom”? 

One  of  the  outstanding  premillennial  authorities  says : 


245 


Jesus  Coming  Again 

u  ke^eve  the  word  till  more  than  intimates  that 

some  should  taste  of  death,  and  that,  therefore,  natural 
death,  or  separation  of  body  and  soul,  is  meant.  But  now 
let  us  mark  well  what  the  some  standing  there  were  to  see, 
and  then  let  us  go  up  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and 
gaze  through  the  favored  eyes  of  Peter,  James,  and  John 
upon  the  scene  which  is  recorded  immediately  after  the 
passage  we  are  considering.  ...  We  cannot  tell  how  much 
of  the  future  they  saw  in  that  enraptured  hour,  but  doubt¬ 
less  they  had  a  specific  vision  of  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  His  kingdom  and  glory.  ( Jesus  Is  Com¬ 
ing ,  W.  E.  B.,  page  139.) 

This  is  a  very  significant  admission  that  it  was  pos¬ 
sible  for  those  standing  with  Jesus  to  see  “  the  Son  of 
Man  coming  in  His  kingdom.”  If  they  saw  it  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration,  they  might  also  have  seen 
a  fuller  manifestation  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost  when 
the  power  and  glory  of  the  kingdom  were  revealed  in 
the  salvation  of  thousands ;  and  further  when  the  Gen¬ 
tiles  were  received  into  the  kingdom  on  an  equality 
with  the  Jews,  but  more  especially  in  the  portents  and 
calamities  accompanying  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  passing  away  of  the  Jewish  hierarchy  and  tem¬ 
ple  worship.  In  any  case,  these  great  events  were  to 
come  to  pass  within  the  time  of  people  then  living  who 
would  see  the  fulfilment  and  be  living  witnesses  of  these 
things. 

The  parabolic  illustrations  which  conclude  the  ad¬ 
dress  and  urge  the  necessity  of  fidelity  and  persistent 
watchfulness  are  of  a  general  character  and  apply  with 
equal  force  to  the  imminent  calamity  of  the  Jewish  na¬ 
tion  and  church,  the  final  judgment,  or  the  approach 
of  death  unto  all  men.  But  we  confidently  affirm  that 
having  carefully  examined  these  predictions,  we  fail 
to  find  one  word  to  indicate  the  bodily  coming  again  of 


246  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Jesus  to  rule  the  world  in  person  for  a  thousand  years ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  that  Jesus  was  even  then  pro¬ 
nouncing  judgment  upon  the  faithless  Jewish  nation 
and  predicting  its  utter  destruction. 

4.  The  Testimony  of  Revelation 

The  Book  of  Revelation  is  a  happy  hunting  ground 
for  all  sorts  of  eschatological  theories.  It  is  a  strange 
congeries  of  Hebrew  apocalyptic  imagery  that  is  quite 
foreign  to  our  modern  mode  of  thought.  Some  take  it 
as  an  outline  of  the  leading  political  and  religious  events 
of  the  world  from  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era 
to  the  end  of  time.  But  while  they  claim  to  be  able  to 
decipher  this  outline,  and  show  what  predictions  have 
been  fulfilled,  and  exactly  what  will  happen  in  the  fu¬ 
ture,  it  is  difficult  to  find  two  interpreters  of  outstand¬ 
ing  reputation  who  agree  upon  the  detailed  meaning 
of  the  book.  The  most  reasonable  view  of  Revelation 
is  that  it  deals  with  the  prevailing  conditions  and  pend¬ 
ing  disasters  of  the  times  in  which  the  writer  was  living. 
In  common  with  all  other  parts  of  the  Bible,  it  sets 
forth  the  moral  and  religious  principles  and  forces  in 
their  great  conflict  with  evil,  and  ascribes  ultimate  and 
absolute  victory  unto  Christ  Jesus,  and  all  who  trust 
in  Him  as  Lord  and  Saviour.  Thus  it  treats  of  sin, 
of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment  to  come;  but  the 
great  calamities  foretold  were  pending  when  the  Reve¬ 
lation  was  given. 

The  prologue  of  the  book  is  66  The  Revelation  of 
Jesus  Christ,  which  God  gave  unto  Him  to  shew  unto 
His  servants  the  things  which  must  shortly  come  to 
pass.”  (Rev.  1:1.)  It  is,  therefore,  not  a  revelation 
of  things  that  are  to  come  to  pass  in  the  far  distant  fu¬ 
ture,  but  that  are  to  come  to  pass  immediately.  The 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


247 


word  translated  shortly  is  en  tachei ,  quickly ,  right 
away.  Scenes  were  even  then  opening  upon  the  people 
to  whom  the  apostles  were  writing.  Lest  there  might  be 
a  mistake  regarding  the  immediateness  of  the  fulfilment 
of  these  predictions,  John  puts  his  warning  of  near 
danger  in  the  form  of  a  blessing  upon  those  who  read 
and  obey  the  precepts  written,  saying,  “  Blessed  is  he 
that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  this 
prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  that  are  written 
therein:  for  the  time  is  at  hand.”  (Rev.  1:3.)  Thus 
the  closing  warning  of  the  prologue  uses  a  different 
word  to  impress  upon  those  who  read  and  those  who 
hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  that  the  time  was 
right  upon  them,  and  therefore  it  was  imperative  for 
them  “  to  keep  the  things  that  are  written  in  it.”  The 
word  is  from  engizo,  and  means  close  at  hand ,  hard  hy. 
This  is  the  word  used  both  by  John  the  Baptist  and 
Jesus  in  their  first  announcement  of  the  gospel  message 
to  urge  the  imperative  reason  for  repentance,  saying, 
“Repent  ye:  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand,” 
engiken;  literally,  has  drawn  near.  (Matt.  3:2; 
4:  17.)  Millennialists  experience  much  difficulty  in  ex¬ 
plaining  away  this  unquestionable  meaning.  They  say 
that,  although  nearly  two  thousand  years  have  passed 
and  the  millennial  kingdom  has  not  come,  yet  the  dis¬ 
ciples  were  to  expect  it  to  come  in  their  day,  every 
generation  since  has  been  called  upon  to  live  in  the 
expectation  of  the  immediate  coming  of  Christ,  and 
therefore  we  today  are  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
time  is  right  on  us,  and  we  should  momentarily  expect 
the  coming  of  the  Lord.  This,  however,  is  simply  tri¬ 
fling  with  language  to  make  it  suit  the  exigencies  of  a 
theory  exploded  long  ago  by  the  passing  of  time.  It 
is  most  erroneous  to  talk  of  an  event  being  “  at  hand  ” 


248  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

engiken ,  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago,  and  still  re¬ 
maining  in  the  indefinite  and  unknown  future.  One 
millennialist  writer  impressed  with  the  strain  this  the¬ 
ory  puts  upon  intelligence  attempts  to  find  another 
way  out  of  the  difficulty.  He  says,  44  The  kingdom  did 
come  4  nigh  5  when  Christ  came,  and  had  they  received 
Him,  it  would  have  been  manifested,  but  now  it  is  in 
abeyance,  or  waiting  till  He  comes  again.  Ap¬ 
parently  conscious  of  the  fact  that  this  will  not  meet 
the  demands  of  his  theory  of  a  millennial  kingdom,  he 
appends  this  explanation,  44  However  the  Greek  word 
engizo  which  is  translated  at  hand  in  Matt.  3 :  2  and 
4:17,  and  is  come  nigh  in  Luke  10:9—11,  does  not 
necessarily  mean  immediately  near.  For  we  find  the 
same  word  used  in  Rom.  13 :  12.  4  The  day  is  at  hand,’ 

and  in  Heb.  10:25  as  4  ye  see  the  day  approaching,’ 
and  in  James  5 :  8,  4  The  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth 
nigh,’  and  in  1  Pet.  4:7,  4  The  end  of  all  things  is  at 
hand,’  each  of  which  passages  are  yet  unfulfilled. 

44  So  we  see  that  the  word  engizo  (is  at  hand)  covers 
a  period  of  more  than  1800  years,  and  reaches  unto 
the  second  coming  of  Christ.”  ( Jesus  is  Coming , 
W.  E.  B.,  page  88.) 

But  does  this  author’s  quotations  confirm  his  defini¬ 
tion  of  the  word?  When  the  Apostles  used  this  word 
did  they  think  that  the  time  before  them  was  thousands 
of  years  distant?  Is  not  the  very  fact  that  they  said 
44  the  time  is  at  hand”  ( engus ,  engizo)  proof  positive 
that  they  expected  it  to  be  fulfilled  within  their  life¬ 
time? 

The  clear  evidence  is  that  to  the  Apostles  the  word 
engizo  meant  the  time  was  right  near,  and  the  day 
would  be  realized  by  them. 

John  claimed  to  have  received  a  definite  and  full 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


249 


revelation  from  the  glorified  Jesus,  which  he  was  to 
“  write  in  a  book,  and  send  to  the  seven  churches 
which  are  in  Asia.”  (Rev.  1:11.)  Therefore,  the 
Revelation  was  for  a  specific  purpose  and  a  special  time, 
to  a  group  of  churches  that  were  facing  peculiar 
trials  and  difficulties.  This  great  congeries  of  start¬ 
ling  events  depicted  in  the  most  marvellous  imagery 
of  the  Jewish  apocalyptic  writings  were  “  shortly  to 
come  to  pass.”  Not  only  does  the  book  open  with  the 
repeated  warnings  of  the  immediate  approach  of  the 
things  written,  but  it  closes  with  the  same  warnings. 
In  the  last  chapter  we  read,  “  These  sayings  are  faith¬ 
ful  and  true :  and  the  Lord  God  sent  His  angels  to  show 
unto  His  servants  the  things  that  must  shortly  he 
done .”  (Rev.  22:  6.)  And  again,  “  Seal  not  the  say- 
ings  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book:  for  the  time  is  at 
hand.”  (Rev.  22:10.)  And  finally,  66  He  which  tes- 
tifieth  these  things  saith  surely,  I  come  quickly” 
(Rev.  22:20.)  Greek  tachus ,  with  speed ,  right  away. 
This  language  certainly  cannot  mean,  “  Surely  I  come 
several  thousand  years  hence.”  It  is  very  evident  that 
the  revelation  depicts  pending  catastrophes. 

The  word  revelation  is  in  harmony  with  this  interpreta¬ 
tion,  for  it  means  taking  away  the  veil,  and  making  known. 
It  is  here  the  revelation  given  by  Jesus  to  His  apostle  to 
show  the  things  that  must  shortly  come  to  pass.  It  is 
clear,  therefore,  at  the  very  beginning  that  John  is  waiting, 
not  for  things  in  the  remote  future,  but  what  was  then 
happening,  and  what  he  expected  would  very  soon  happen 
to  the  people  of  that  time.  There  is  no  justification  for 
the  attempt  so  often  made  to  apply  the  details  of  the  vision 
in  this  book  to  the  events  of  modern  times.  (Prof.  J.  F. 
McLaughlin,  Victoria  University,  Toronto,  Ont.,  in  The 
Bible  Class  Monthly ,  Dec.,  1916.) 

The  exact  explanation  of  all  the  events  portrayed  in 


250  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  imagery  of  this  book  is  very  difficult  to  obtain.1 
There  are  many  divergent  opinions  even  in  regard  to 
the  time  when  this  revelation  was  given.  The  range 
of  time  is  between  69  A.  D.  and  96  A.  D.  If  the  later 
dates  are  accepted,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
the  complete  abolition  of  the  Mosaic  polity  were  ac¬ 
complished  facts,  and  do  not  come  within  the  purview 
of  these  visions.  It  is  very  evident,  however,  that  they 
are  concerned  primarily  and  immediately  with  the  great 
persecutions  and  religious  disturbances  of  the  times, 
and  the  political  upheavals  in  the  nations  of  the  world. 

Many  of  the  most  renowned  Biblical  scholars,  both 
ancient  and  modern,  fix  the  date  of  John’s  banishment 
to  Patmos  at  about  69  A.  D.  in  the  midst  of  the  fear¬ 
ful  persecution  of  the  Christians  by  the  perfidious  Em¬ 
peror  Nero.  The  inscription  to  the  Syriac  Version, 
published  in  the  London  Polyglot  Bible,  reads :  46  The 

Revelation  which  God  gave  John  the  Evangelist,  in  the 
Isles  of  Patmos,  to  which  he  was  banished  by  Nero- 
Caesar.”  This  would  place  the  Revelation  just  before 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  or  while  the  Roman  Le¬ 
gions  were  gathering  for  the  great  siege.  Therefore, 
44  the  time  is  at  hand,”  would  refer  to  this  time  of 
catastrophe  and  judgment.  44  The  things  that  must 
shortly  be  done,”  would  be  the  destruction  of  the  Holy 
City  and  its  temple,  with  the  complete  abolition  of  the 
Jewish  sacrifices  and  the  Mosaic  economy.  Also,  the 
downfall  of  that  Babylon  of  iniquity  and  persecutor  of 
the  saints,  the  Roman  Empire,  that  was  responsible  for 
the  horrors  connected  with  the  siege  of  Jerusalem. 

The  heavens  and  the  earth  were  passing  away,  and 
a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  were  taking  their  place. 

There  are  internal  evidences  that  favor  this  early 

i  See  Chapter,  The  Millennial  Reign. 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


251 


date  and  indicate  that  the  great  upheaval  immediately 
before  John  was  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
final  breaking  up  of  the  Jewish  nation  and  church. 
The  first  fact  that  presses  upon  us  is  that  John  uses 
practically  the  same  figures  and  expressions  Jesus  used 
in  His  prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
Take,  for  instance,  this  passage  in  the  first  chapter  : 
u  Behold,  He  cometh  with  clouds ;  and  every  eye  shall 
see  Him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  Him;  and  all 
kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  Him.” 
(Rev.  1:7.)  In  our  examination  of  the  twenty-fourth 
chapter  of  Matthew,  we  showed  the  Biblical  meaning  of 
the  expression,  44  coming  with  the  clouds.”  It  is  the 
poetical  form  to  describe  the  divine  presence  in  great 
manifestations  of  supernatural  power.  The  phrase, 
44  All  kindreds  of  the  earth,”  generally  taken  to  mean, 
44  all  the  people  of  this  world,”  is  pasai  at  phulai  tes 
ges  —  the  same  phrase  as  used  in  Matthew  24 :  30,  and 
is  literally  44  all  the  tribes  of  the  land,”  the  common  way 
of  designating  all  the  Jews  or  tribes  of  Israel.  The  de¬ 
struction  of  their  capital  city  and  their  beloved  temple 
was  a  great  cause  of  mourning  among  all  the  Jews. 
At  the  time  of  this  great  catastrophe  there  were  still 
living  some  of  those  who  consented  to  the  crucifixion  of 
Jesus,  and  who  saw  the  wonderful  phenomena  that  is 
reported  by  J osephus  and  others  in  connection  with  the 
Roman  siege. 

The  revelations  made  by  opening  the  seals  evidently 
concerned  both  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
downfall  of  the  Roman  Empire.  (Chap.  6.)  The  cry 
of  the  waiting  souls  under  the  altar  of  the  fifth  seal 
is  against  the  persecuting  Jews.  (Verses  9,  10.) 
44  They  that  dwell  on  the  earth,”  is  ton  katoikounton 
epi  tes  ges ,  literally,  44  those  that  dwell  in  the  land  ” — 


252 


The  Kingdom,  and  Coming  of  Christ 


a  familiar  Hebraism  for  the  Jews  of  Palestine.  Dr. 
Adam  Clark  observed: 

If  this  book  was  written  before  the  destruction  of  Jeru¬ 
salem,  as  is  most  likely,  then  this  destruction  is  that  which 
was  to  fall  upon  the  Jews;  and  the  little  time  or  season 
was  that  which  elapsed  between  their  martyrdom,  or  the 
date  of  this  book  and  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
under  the  Romans. 

The  opening  of  the  sixth  seal  revealed  the  overthrow 
of  the  Roman  Empire  and  the  destruction  of  its  pagan 
religion  and  government. 

And  the  sun  became  as  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair,  and  the 
moon  became  as  blood;  and  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto 
the  earth  .  .  .  and  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when 
it  is  rolled  together  .  .  .  and  the  kings  of  the  mighty  men, 
and  every  bondman  and  every  free  man  hid  themselves  in 
the  dens  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mountains.  (Verses  12— 
15.) 

The  figures  of  this  imposing  passage  have  become 
familiar  to  us  in  our  study  of  the  Old  Testament 
prophecies  and  the  predicted  fall  of  Jerusalem.  They 
do  not  indicate  a  disturbance  of  the  physical  heavenly 
bodies,  but  the  overthrow  of  national  religions  and 
governments  in  the  great  political  upheavals  of  the 
world.  Here  they  are  taken  by  eminent  scholars  to 
indicate  primarily  the  collapse  of  the  religious  and 
civil  systems  of  Imperial  Rome. 

Dr.  Adam  Clark,  after  commenting  on  this  chapter, 
verse  by  verse,  in  line  with  this  conception,  appends 
this  illuminating  summary,  containing  an  extended  quo¬ 
tation  from  the  great  Dr.  Dodd.  He  says : 

Though  I  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  my  remarks  on  this 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


253 


chapter  point  out  its  true  significance,  yet  I  find  others 
have  applied  it  in  the  same  way.  Dr.  Dodd  observes  that 
the  fall  of  Babylon,  Idumea,  Judah,  Egypt,  and  Jerusalem 
has  been  described  by  the  prophets  in  language  equally 
pompous,  figurative,  and  strong.  See  Isa.  13:10,  34:4 
concerning  Babylon  and  Idumea;  Jer.  4:  23,  24  concerning 
Judah;  Ezek.  32:7  concerning  Egypt;  Joel  2:  10,  31  con¬ 
cerning  Jerusalem;  our  Lord  Himself,  Matt.  24:29,  con¬ 
cerning  the  same  city.  “  Now,”  says  he,  “  it  is  certain 
that  the  fall  of  any  of  these  cities  or  kingdoms  was  not  of 
greater  concern  or  consequence  to  the  world,  nor  more 
deserving  to  be  described  in  pompous  figures  than  the  fall 
of  the  pagan  Roman  Empire,  when  the  great  lights  of  the 
heathen  world,  the  sun ,  moon  and  stars,  the  powers  civil 
and  ecclesiastical,  were  all  eclipsed  and  obscured,  the 
heathen  emperors  and  Caesars  were  slain,  the  heathen 
priests  and  augurs  were  extirpated,  the  heathen  officers 
and  magistrates  were  removed,  the  temples  were  demol¬ 
ished,  and  their  revenues  were  devoted  to  better  uses.  It 
is  customary  with  the  prophets,  after  they  have  described 
a  thing  in  the  most  symbolical  and  figurative  manner,  to 
represent  the  same  again  in  plainer  language,  and  the  same 
method  is  observed  here,  ver.  15,  16,  17:  And  the  kings 
of  the  earth,  etc.  That  is,  Maximin,  Galerius,  Maxentius, 
Licinius,  etc.,  with  all  their  adherents  and  followers,  were 
so  routed  and  dispersed  that  they  hid  themselves  in  dens, 
—  expressions  used  to  denote  the  utmost  terror  and  confu¬ 
sion.  This  is,  therefore,  a  triumph  of  Christ  over  His 
heathen  enemies,  and  a  triumph  after  a  severe  punishment: 
so  that  the  time  and  all  the  circumstances,  as  well  as  the  se¬ 
ries  and  order  of  the  prophecy,  agree  perfectly  with  this  in¬ 
terpretation.  Galerius,  Maximin,  and  Licinius,  made  even 
a  public  confession  of  their  guilt,  recalled  their  decrees  and 
edicts  against  Christians,  and  acknowledged  the  just  judg¬ 
ments  of  Christ  in  their  own  destruction.  (Dr.  A.  Clark’s 
Commentary,  Rev.  6.) 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Milligan,  in  his  excellent  exposition  of 
the  Book  of  Revelation,  sees  in  this  sixth  seal  not  only 
the  predicted  downfall  of  pagan  Rome,  but  the  over- 


£54  The  Kingdom  and  Coining  of  Christ 


throw  of  all  evil  systems  that  set  themselves  against 
the  Lord  and  His  anointed.  Thus  the  eternal  princi¬ 
ples  of  the  government  of  God  are  seen  in  their  ir¬ 
revocable  operation  against  all  evil,  and  for  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  all  good.  We  cannot  do  better  than  give  in 
full  this  admirable  exposition. 

Highly  coloured  as  the  language  used  under  the  sixth 
seal  may  appear  to  us,  to  the  Jew,  animated  by  the  spirit 
of  the  Old  Testament,  it  was  simply  that  in  which  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  express  his  expectations  of  any  new 
dispensation  of  the  Almighty,  of  any  striking  crisis  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  Whenever  he  thought  of  the  Judge  of 
all  the  earth  as  manifesting  Himself  in  a  greater  than 
ordinary  degree,  and  as  manifesting  Himself  in  that  truth 
and  righteousness  which  was  the  glorious  distinction  of  His 
character,  he  took  advantage  of  such  figures  as  we  now  have 
before  us.  To  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  therefore,  to  every 
great  crisis  in  human  history,  and  to  the  close  of  all,  they 
may  be  fittingly  applied.  In  the  eloquent  language  of  Dr. 
Vaughan,  “  These  words  are  wonderful  in  all  senses,  not 
least  in  this  sense:  that  they  are  manifold  in  their  accom¬ 
plishment.  Wherever  there  is  a  little  flock  in  a  waste 
wilderness ;  wherever  there  is  a  church  in  a  world ;  wherever 
there  is  a  power  of  unbelief,  ungodliness,  and  violence, 
throwing  itself  upon  Christ’s  faith  and  Christ’s  people  and 
seeking  to  overbear,  and  to  demolish,  and  to  destroy; 
whether  that  power  be  the  power  of  Jewish  bigotry  and 
fanaticism,  as  in  the  days  of  the  first  disciples ;  or  of  pagan 
Rome,  with  its  idolatries  and  its  cruelties,  in  the  days  of 
St.  John;  or  of  papal  Rome,  with  its  lying  wonders  and  its 
anti-Christian  assumptions,  in  ages  later  still;  or  of  open 
and  rampant  atheism,  as  in  the  days  of  the  first  French 
Revolution;  or  of  a  subtler  and  more  insidious  infidelity 
like  that  which  is  threatening  now  to  deceive,  if  it  were 
possible,  the  very  elect;  wherever  and  whatever  this  power 
may  be  —  and  it  has  had  a  thousand  forms,  and  may  be 
destined  yet  to  assume  a  thousand  more  —  then,  in  each 
successive  century,  the  words  of  Christ  to  His  first  disci¬ 
ples  adapt  themselves  afresh  to  the  circumstances  of  His 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


255 


struggling  servants;  warn  them  of  danger;  exhort  them  to 
patience,  arouse  them  to  hope,  assure  them  of  victory;  tell 
of  a  near  end  for  an  individual  and  for  a  generation;  tell 
also  of  a  far  end,  not  forever  to  be  postponed,  for  time 
itself  and  for  the  world;  predict  a  destruction  which  shall 
befall  each  enemy  of  the  truth,  and  predict  a  destruction 
which  shall  befall  the  enemy  himself  whom  each  in  turn 
has  represented  and  served;  explain  the  meaning  of  tribu¬ 
lation,  show  whence  it  comes,  and  point  to  its  swallowing 
up  in  glory ;  reveal  the  moving  hand  above,  and  disclose, 
from  behind  the  cloud  which  conceals  it,  the  clear,  definite 
purpose  and  the  unchanging,  loving  will.  Thus  under¬ 
stood,  each  separate  downfall  of  evil  becomes  a  prophecy 
of  the  next  and  of  the  last;  and  the  partial  fulfilment  of 
our  Lord’s  words  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  or  of  St. 
John’s  words  in  the  downfall  of  idolatry  and  the  dismem¬ 
berment  of  Rome,  becomes  itself  in  turn  a  new  warrant  for 
the  Church’s  expectation  of  the  Second  Advent  and  of  the 
day  of  Judgment.”  (Expositor’s  Bible ,  Rev.  chapter  6.) 

The  seventh  seal  reveals  the  divine  consolations  for 
the  saints  and  the  glorious  victory  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  over  all  enemies.  The  seven  trumpets  and  the 
vision  of  the  bowls  are  occupied  with  the  same  exalted 
themes  of  the  overthrow  of  iniquity  and  the  conquests 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Even  the  great  Armaged¬ 
don  (Rev.  16:  16),  so  much  talked  of,  is  a  description 
of  the  great  conflict  of  spiritual  forces  in  the  world 
of  men.  “  The  spirits  of  the  devils  warring  against 
the  saints  of  God,  and  mobilizing  “  the  kings  of  the 
earth  ”  in  moral  opposition  to  God  and  His  Christ. 

The  symbolic  times  and  numbers  of  the  Revelation 
have  similar  application  to  the  times  and  events  that 
w'ere  before  St.  John,  and  indicate  men,  kingdoms, 
events,  and  seasons  connected  with  the  great  world  up¬ 
heavals  of  his  time  and  immediately  after. 

For  instance,  the  number  of  the  beast,  666  (Rev.  13: 


256  The  Kingdom*  and  Coming  of  Christ 


18),  that  has  formed  the  basis  of  so  much  conjecture, 
and  which  an  ingenious  mathematician  has  worked  out 
to  spell  Kaiser.  That  number  has  done  service  as  a 
brand  for  various  religious  and  civil  despots  who  have 
terrorized  their  fellows.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  the 
beast  John  saw  came  historically  nearer  to  him  than  the 
Kaiser.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  number  has  been 
worked  out  to  spell  the  Roman  Empire  under  the  perse¬ 
cutions  of  which  John  was  suffering  banishment  44  for 
the  word  of  God,  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.” 
(Rev.  1:9.) 

It  is  worked  out  after  this  fashion.  Previous  to  the 
invention  of  figures  by  the  Arabs  in  the  tenth  century, 
letters  of  the  alphabet  were  used  for  numbers.  The 
Greeks  assigned  to  their  letters  a  numerical  value  corre¬ 
sponding  to  their  order  in  the  alphabet.  The  Romans 
followed  the  same  practice.  The  following  is  the  Greek 
alphabet,  with  the  English  equivalents  and  the  nu¬ 
merical  value  attached  to  each  letter  according  to  the 
generally  received  system : 

Alpha . a  .  1 

Beta  . b  .  2 

Gamma . g  .....  .  3 

Delta  . d  ......  4 

Epsilon . e  .  5 

Zeta . z  .  7 

Eta  . long  e  .  .  8 

Theta  . th  .  9 

Iota  ........  .i  .  10 

Kappa  . k .  20 

Lambda  ...  .1  .  30 

Mu  ........  m  .....  40 

This  method  of  representing  numbers  by  letters  of 
the  alphabet  gave  rise  to  a  practice  among  the  an- 


Nu  . 

.  .  .n  . 

50 

Xi . 

.  .  .  x  . 

60 

Omicron  . 

.  . .short  o. . 

70 

Pi  ...... 

•••P . 

80 

Rho . 

100 

Sigma  .  .  . 

200 

Tau . 

.  .  .t  . 

300 

Upsilon  . 

...  u  . 

400 

Phi  . 

•••Ph  . 

500 

Chi  . 

...ch  . 

600 

Psi  . 

700 

Omega  .  . 

800 

Jesus  Coming  Again 


257 


cients  of  representing  names  also  by  numbers.  Exam¬ 
ples  of  this  kind  abound  in  the  writing  of  heathens, 
Jews,  and  Christians.  This  was  clearly  the  custom  in 
the  apostolic  age.  The  common  designation  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  wThich  then  ruled  the  world,  was  The 
Latin  Kingdom,  which  put  in  Greek  is  e  (long)  latine 
basileia .  Give  this  its  numerical  value  and  it  works  out 


thus : 

Eta  . 

. .  8* 

r  The 

Lamba . 

1 

S' 

Alpha  . 

.  1 

Tau  . 

.  .t . 

Iota  . . . 

■4 

,  .  10 

Latin 

Nu . 

50 

Eta  . 

8 

Beta  ...... 

.  2 

Alpha  . 

. . a  ....... 

.  1 

Sigma  . 

.  200 

lota  . . 

•  1 

Lambda  . . . 

..1 . 

Epsilon  .  .  .  . 

. .e  ...... 

.  5 j 

Kingdom 

Iota  . 

Aloha  . 

.  .  a  . 

_ _  1 

666 

Then  the  number  of  the  Latin  Kingdom  or  Roman 
Empire  is  666.  No  other  kingdom  on  earth  can  be 
found  to  contain  that  number.  The  beast  of  this  chap¬ 
ter  is  plainly  intended  to  represent  a  kingdom  after  the 
manner  of  Daniel  from  which  St.  John  so  largely  draws 
his  imagery.  All  the  descriptions  of  the  blasphemy 
and  persecution  of  this  beast  identifies  it  with  the  Ro¬ 
man  Empire.  As  the  number  of  the  beast,  666,  spells 


$58  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


7 


out  the  Latin  Kingdom  or  the  Roman  Empire,  the 
identity  seems  complete.  It  may  be  objected  that  the 
number  of  the  beast  was  the  number  of  a  man,  and 
therefore  the  beast  must  be  a  man.  But  every  kingdom 
has  its  representative  man  or  king  in  which  is  vested 
all  the  authority  and  power  of  the  kingdom.  The 
king  and  his  kingdom,  particularly  under  the  ancient 
autocracies,  were  one.  Therefore,  the  number  of  the 
Latin  kingdom,  666,  would  be  the  number  of  the  blas¬ 
phemous  persecutor,  the  Roman  Caesar.  Some  difficul¬ 
ties  may  be  experienced  in  harmonizing  all  the  details 
of  this  part  of  the  vision  with  this  interpretation.  But 
this  may  be  due  more  to  our  ignorance  of  the  details  of 
the  actual  facts  of  the  times,  religious  and  political 
upheavals,  and  sufferings  of  the  saints  under  the  pagan 
religion  and  false  prophets,  than  to  any  defect  in 
the  interpretation  itself.  It  has,  at  least,  the  merit 
of  being  consistent  with  the  general  scope  and  imagery 
of  the  book  and  is  far  more  reasonable  than  any  other 
theory  that  has  been  propounded. 

We  have  made  no  attempt  to  give  a  full  exposition 
of  this  enigmatical  book,  neither  do  we  undertake  to 
dogmatize  on  the  suggested  interpretations  we  have 
offered.  These  have  been  set  forth  to  show  that  the 
fanciful  predictions  based  upon  these  revelations  are 
not  supported  by  the  plain  statements  contained 
therein.  The  outstanding  rule  of  exegesis  must  be  ad¬ 
hered  to,  namely,  that  the  figurative  and  obscure  pas¬ 
sages  of  scripture  must  be  interpreted  in  harmony  with 
those  which  are  plain  and  literal  statements  of  fact. 
This  we  have  assiduously  followed,  and  find  much  that  is 
distinctly  at  variance  with  premillenriialism.  We  can¬ 
not  find  anything  in  harmony  with  sound  exposition 
that  lends  any  weight  to  the  theory  of  a  bodily  mil- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


259 


lennial  reign  of  Jesus  on  earth.  Throughout  the  New 
Testament,  the  gospel  of  Jesus  is  the  saving  power 
of  the  world,  and  there  is  no  statement  to  the  effect 
that  the  gospel  is  inadequate  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world,  and  that  a  new  dispensation  of  saving  power 
must  be  brought  in  before  the  “  kingdoms  of  this  world 
will  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  His 
Christ.” 

The  last  chapter  of  Revelation  opens  with  the  vis¬ 
ion  of  “  the  pure  river  of  the  water  of  life,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and 
of  the  Lamb,  and  the  tree  of  life,  the  leaves  of  which 
are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.”  (Rev.  22:1,  2.) 
Jesus  likened  the  saving  power  of  grace  under  the  gos¬ 
pel  to  living  water.  To  the  woman  at  the  well  He  said, 
“  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again : 
but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into 
everlasting  life.”  (John  4:13,  14.)  This  figure  of 
the  water  of  salvation  is  taken  from  the  prophets* 
Isaiah  said,  “  Behold,  God  is  my  salvation;  I  will  trust, 
and  not  be  afraid :  for  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  my  strength 
and  my  song  and  is  become  my  salvation.  Therefore, 
with  joy  shall  I  draw  water  from  the  wells  of  salva¬ 
tion.”  (Isa.  12:  2,  3.)  “  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth, 

come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money; 
come  ye,  buy,  and  eat.”  (Isa.  55:1.)  The  Bible 
closes  with  the  great  and  universal  appeal,  “  And  the 
Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  6  Come.’  And  let  him  that 
heareth  say,  ‘  Come.’  And  let  him  that  is  athirst, 
Come.  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water 
of  life  freely.”  (Rev.  22:17.)  All  who  respond  to 
this  appeal  and  drink  of  the  living  waters,  will  get  such 


260 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


an  experience  of  the  saving  power  of  God’s  grace,  as 
will  satisfy  his  soul  with  peace  and  joy.  By  the  flow¬ 
ing  forth  of  this  crystal  pure  water  out  of  the  throne 
of  God  and  the  Lamb  the  nations  will  be  saved  and 
healed. 

5.  Epistolary  Testimony 

Chronologically,  the  study  of  the  apostolic  epistles 
would  precede  that  of  Revelation;  but  we  are  not  so 
particular  about  chronology  as  we  are  of  the  scriptural 
teaching  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  its  relation  to  the 
return  of  Jesus.  The  Book  of  Revelation,  packed  full 
as  it  is,  with  the  prophetic  imagery  of  the  prophecies 
of  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  and  being  so  closely  connected 
with  Christ’s  predictions  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  naturally  follows  the  study  of  these  predictions. 
The  principal  reason  for  adopting  this  order  in  our 
review  of  the  scriptural  teaching  of  the  coming  again 
of  Jesus,  is  that  the  premillennial  writers  make  these 
prophetic  and  apocalyptic  writings  the  chief  source  of 
their  proofs  upon  which  they  base  their  predictions  re¬ 
garding  the  millennium.  In  our  study  we  have  shown 
that  these  scriptures  do  not  warrant  their  assumption. 

When  we  turn  to  the  epistles,  it  must  be  kept  in 
mind  that  the  apostles  were  Jews,  and  shared  the  mis¬ 
conceptions  of  their  Scribes  and  Rabbins,  namely,  that 
when  the  Messiah  came  He  would  deliver  Israel  from  the 
domination  of  a  foreign  power,  and  not  only  restore  the 
Davidic  glory,  but  give  them  world  conquest.  It  never 
dawned  on  them  that  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  could 
mean  the  destruction  of  their  holy  city  with  its  temple, 
the  abolition  of  the  Mosaic  polity,  and  the  complete  dis¬ 
integration  of  their  nation.  It  was  the  refusal  of  Jesus 
to  accept  their  popular  national  conception  of  the  Mes¬ 
sianic  kingdom,  and  allow  Himself  to  be  made  king  over 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


261 


Israel,  and  His  persistent  warnings  of  approaching 
national  disaster,  that  aroused  the  opposition  of  the 
rulers  of  the  people  and  provoked  His  crucifixion. 
Even  after  the  resurrection,  the  chosen  twelve  clung 
to  this  national  hope  and  looked  for  its  realization. 
While  the  Pentecostal  blessing  wrought  a  miraculous 
change  in  the  moral  character  of  these  praying,  devout 
disciples,  and  equipped  them  to  be  living  witnesses  of 
Jesus,  it  did  not  clear  away  all  the  mental  fog  concern¬ 
ing  the  national  political  expectations.  It  was  consid¬ 
erable  time  before  any  of  these  zealous,  self-denying 
preachers  of  righteousness  realized  the  scope  of  their 
mission,  “  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.”  It 
required  a  special  vision  thrice  repeated,  and  cor¬ 
roborated  by  a  counterpart  to  the  devout,  praying 
Cornelius  to  compel  Peter  to  break  through  his  ra¬ 
cial  prejudices  and  preach  the  gospel  to  even  such  a 
good  man  as  the  Roman  centurion.  Even  then  he  was 
strongly  rebuked  by  his  co-disciples  for  such  a  breach 
of  national  exclusiveness,  and  notwithstanding  the  evi¬ 
dent  manifestations  of  divine  sanction  confirming  the 
reality  of  the  vision  on  the  house  top  in  Joppa,  it  was 
with  great  difficult}^  that  he  convinced  the  infant 
Church  that  “  to  the  Gentiles  also  God  had  granted 
repentance  unto  life.”  Some  of  the  Jewish  Christians 
were  never  reconciled  to  the  inclusion  of  the  Gentiles 
into  the  covenants  of  grace,  holding  tenaciously  even 
to  the  last  their  national  misconceptions  of  the  Mes¬ 
sianic  kingdom.  It  is  thus  clear  that  very  good  men, 
“  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,”  may  entertain 
erroneous  ideas,  and  be  grievously  mistaken  in  regard 
to  national  politics  and  even  theological  dogma. 

The  conversion  of  the  enthusiastic  and  energetic 
young  scholar  and  persecutor,  Saul  of  Tarsus,  was  a 


262  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


very  important  accession  to  the  infant  Christian 
Church.  He  was  especially  ordained  as  an  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the 
Rabbins,  and  imbued  with  all  their  racial  exclusiveness 
and  national  hopes.  A  great  revolution  took  place  in 
the  mind  and  sentiments  of  this  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews, 
of  the  narrowest  sect  of  the  Pharisees,  when  he  accepted 
the  commission  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles. 
We  are  indebted  to  his  scholarly  pen  for  the  most  pro¬ 
found  treatises  of  Christian  theology  to  be  found  in 
the  New  Testament.  His  treatment  of  eschatology  is 
somewhat  fragmentary.  He  raises  some  questions 
which  he  leaves  quite  unsettled.  It  seems  that  some  of 
his  earlier  statements  are  colored  by  his  early  training 
and  national  aspirations.  He  seldom  refers  to  the 
kingdom  of  God.  This  may  be  accounted  for  by  the 
fact  that  he  is  writing  to  Gentile  Christians,  who  could 
not  share  his  national  expectations.  Religiously  he 
emphasized,  as  does  no  other  apostle,  the  fact  that  by 
the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  the  middle  wall  of  partition  be¬ 
tween  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  was  broken  down  (Eph. 
2:11—22),  so  that  “there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek, 
there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor 
female:  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus.”  (Gal.  3: 
28.)  He  gives  us  the  very  best  definition  of  the  king¬ 
dom  when  he  urges,  “  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat 
and  drink,  but  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost.”  (Rom.  14:14.)  It  does  not  consist 
in  external  organization,  ritualistic  observations,  or  sys¬ 
tems  of  theology.  But  in  the  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  heart  of  the  believer,  imparting  to  him 
“  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy,”  a  definite  personal 
experience  and  a  consciously  holy  character.  In  his 
comprehensive  summary  pf  the  privileges  of  sainthood 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


263 


through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  Paul  wrote,  44  Giving  thanks 
unto  God  the  Father,  which  hath  made  us  meet  to  be 
partakers  of  the  inheritance  among  the  saints  of  light, 
who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness, 
and  hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  His  dear 
son.”  (Col.  1:12,  13.)  This  is  not  a  translation  to 
take  place  in  the  future,  but  one  that  has  been  com¬ 
pleted,  44  Hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom.”  The 
kingdom  was  then  established,  and  Paul  considered  him¬ 
self  and  his  fellow  Christians  as  citizens  thereof.  This 
is  in  harmony  with  all  his  teaching  on  the  triumphs  of 
grace  through  faith  in  Jesus,  by  which  the  dominion  of 
sin  is  destroyed  and  Christ  reigns  supreme  in  heart  and 
life.  (Rom.  5:7  and  6:11—23.) 

Paul  also  gives  warning  against  the  sins  that  ex¬ 
clude  people  from  the  kingdom.  After  specifying  some 
of  these  sins,  he  says,  46  As  I  have  told  you  in  time 
past  that  those  that  do  such  things  shall  not  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God.”  (Gal.  5:21.)  For  44  the  un¬ 
righteous  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.”  (1 
Cor.  6:9,  10.) 

Here  again  the  kingdom  of  God  is  already  established 
in  the  world  as  the  right  or  inheritance  of  the  children 
pf  God.  But  this  kingdom  holds  in  promise  the 
eternal  glory  of  Christ  for  all  who  are  in  Him.  In 
his  great  resurrection  chapter,  Paul  endeavors  to  ex¬ 
plain  the  nature  of  the  resurrection  body  and  life. 
From  the  well  attested  fact  of  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus,  he  establishes  the  belief  in  the  resurrection  of 
all  who  are  Christ’s  at  His  coming.  44  Then  cometh  the 
end,  when  He  shall  have  delivered  up  the  kingdom  to 
God  even  the  Father;  when  He  shall  have  put  down  all 
rule,  and  all  authority  and  power.”  (1  Cor.  15:23, 
24.) 


264  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


The  millennialists  claim  that  the  millennium  sepa¬ 
rates  the  coming  of  Christ  and  “  the  end,”  when  Christ 
will  deliver  up  the  kingdom  unto  the  Father.  There  is 
nothing  here,  however,  to  indicate  the  lapse  of  a  thou¬ 
sand  years  or  any  saving  activities  on  the  part  of 
Jesus  between  His  coming  and  the  end.  The  more  con¬ 
sistent  interpretation  is  that  at  the  resurrection  of  the 
saints,  Christ  will  deliver  up  to  the  Father  the  media¬ 
torial  kingdom,  under  which,  by  the  Holy  Spirit’s  min¬ 
istry  of  redemption,  the  world  is  being  saved.  It  is 
under  the  power  of  the  gospel  that  Jesus  will  put 
66  down  all  rule,  and  all  authority  and  power  ”  that 
exalts  itself  against  righteousness.  If  one  is  disposed 
to  question  as  to  why  the  delay  in  the  assertion  of  this 
sovereign  power,  the  ready  answer  is,  there  is  no  delay. 
Jesus  does  not  rule  by  arbitrary  power  but  by  persuad¬ 
ing  and  drawing.  “  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw 
all  men  unto  me.”  (John  12:  32.)  This  saving  work 
has  been  in  operation  ever  since  Pentecost.  It  would 
have  been  hastened  if  men  had  been  faithful.  The  rea¬ 
son  it  has  not  progressed  more  rapidly  is  because  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  have  not  always  been  loyal  to  the 
truth.  Peter  meets  the  question  with  the  explanation, 
“  But,  beloved,  be  not  ignorant  of  this  one  thing,  that 
one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a 
thousand  years  as  one  day.”  (2  Pet.  3:8.) 

This  gospel  interpretation  harmonizes  with  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  Paul’s  argument.  As  he  develops  his  theme, 
he  distinguishes  between  the  terrestrial  and  the  celes¬ 
tial,  the  natural  and  the  spiritual,  the  earthly  and  the 
heavenly.  He  eliminates  all  that  is  material  and  cor¬ 
ruptible,  and  makes  this  positive  statement,  “  Now,  I 
say,  brethren,  that  flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God ;  neither  doth  corruption  inherit  incor- 


265 


1  — — — — — »— — — — — ■ 

•> 

Jesus  Coming  Again 

- — - - - 

ruption.”  (1  Cor.  15:  50.)  He  then  proceeds  to  dis¬ 
cuss  the  triumphant  and  immortal  glory  of  all  who 
obtain  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  such 
a  way  as  to  forbid  the  conclusion  that  he  is  here  think¬ 
ing  of  a  bodily  reign  of  Jesus  on  the  earth. 

The  appearing,  manifestation,  revelation,  or  com¬ 
ing  of  Christ  did  occupy  a  prominent  place  in  the 
thought  and  teaching  of  Paul.  The  first  Epistle  to  the 
Thessalonians  is  not  only  the  earliest  of  Paul’s  epistles, 
but  the  earliest  New  Testament  writings.  It  is  gen¬ 
erally  conceded  that  this  epistle  was  written  before  any 
of  the  gospels.  44  No  epistle  of  Paul  shows  so  clearly  as 
this  one  the  kinship  of  view  point  which  he  had  with  his 
race.  Distress  and  affliction  had  visited  the  new 
church,  and  to  establish  them  in  their  faith,  their  hopes 
were  directed  towards  the  events  of  the  end.  The  per¬ 
secutors  who  had  filled  4  the  measure  of  their  sins  ’  were 
soon  to  be  overcome  by  a  catastrophic  judgment. 

4  The  wrath  is  come  upon  them  to  the  uttermost.’  ” 
(i Studies  in  Pauline  Eschatology ,  by  Dr.  E.  J.  Pratt, 

p.  122.) 

This  judgment  upon  the  Jews  who  filled  up  their  sins 
by  killing  the  prophets,  crucifying  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
persecuting  the  apostles,  forbidding  them  to  preach  to 
the  nations  that  they  might  be  saved  (1  Thess.  2  :  15, 
16),  was  not  a  catastrophe  that  was  reserved  for  some 
indefinite  time  in  the  future,  thousands  of  years  away, 
but  a  judgment  that  was  already  pronounced  and  in 
the  course  of  execution.  He  says,  ephthasen  de  ep 
autous ,  44  is  come  upon  them.” 

The  language  of  this  passage  is  so  similar  to  Christ’s 
denunciation  of  rebellious  Jerusalem  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  get  away  from  the  conviction  that  Paul  had 
this  predicted  doom  before  his  mind.  While  he  pro- 


266  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


nounces  such  severe  judgment  upon  the  ungodly,  he 
promises  rich  blessings  to  those  who  “  turn  from  idols 
to  serve  the  living  and  true  God,  and  to  wait  for  His 
Son  from  heaven.”  (1  Thess.  1 :  9,  10.)  These  faith¬ 
ful  saints  were  His  hope  and  joy  and  crown  of  rejoic¬ 
ing  44  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  His 
coming.”  It  is  very  evident  that  he  was  thinking  of 
the  immediate  coming  or  parousia  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
But  to  him  the  wrath  upon  the  enemies  of  Christ, 
and  the  glory  of  the  saints  were  both  at  44  His  com¬ 
ing.”  The  expectation  of  the  immediate  coming  of 
Christ  raised  the  question  of  the  prospects  of  the 
dead,  and  their  relation  to  the  living  saints.  This 
disputed  point  he  undertakes  to  settle  in  closing 
the  fourth  chapter,  by  saying,  44  that  we  which  are 
alive  and  remain  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not 
prevent  (or  go  before)  them  which  are  asleep.”  (1 
Thess.  4  : 15.)  The  expression,  44  We  which  are  alive,” 
indicates  that  he  was  expecting  the  coming  of  Jesus 
during  his  lifetime.  In  these  passages,  Paul  does  not 
clearly  define  his  views.  It  would  seem  that  he  had  not 
thought  his  way  clear  through  his  subject.  The 
threatened  doom  to  Jerusalem  and  the  Jewish  nation 
exerted  an  influence  upon  his  mind.  The  expectation 
that  even  yet  a  Messianic  kingdom  would  be  established 
under  which  the  enemies  of  God  would  be  punished  and 
the  saints  rewarded,  had  its  influence,  and  the  final 
consummation  of  the  ages  with  the  resurrection  glory 
was  before  him.  But  undoubtedly  his  expectation  was 
of  an  immediate  coming  of  Jesus  in  judgment  upon 
the  ungodly  and  vindication  for  the  righteous. 

This  epistle  left  these  questions  unsettled  and  much 
controversy  seems  to  have  been  aroused  in  this  church, 
which  called  forth  the  Second  Epistle.  These  Chris- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


267 


tians  were  in  danger  of  losing  their  grip  on  the  essen¬ 
tials  of  salvation  because  of  the  dissensions  over  the 
matter.  Paul  beseeches  them  not  to  be  44  shaken  in 
mind,  nor  troubled  neither  by  spirit,  nor  by  word, 
nor  by  letter  as  from  us,  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at 
hand.”  (2  Thess.  2 :  3,  4. ) 

If  in  the  first  epistle,  Paul  expected  Christ  to  come 
immediately,  he  seems  now  to  have  revised  his  opinion 
and  warns  these  Christians  not  to  be  troubled,  even  by 
a  letter  from  himself,  probably  referring  to  his  first 
epistle.  “  The  day  of  Christ  ”  now  appeared  more 
distant.  He  intimates  events  that  must  precede  the 
coming,  notably,  44  the  falling  away,”  and  the  revela¬ 
tion  of  44  the  man  of  sin.”  He  does  not  undertake  to 
define  this  man  of  sin,  nor  what  he  means  by  “  the  fall¬ 
ing  away.”  Evidently,  there  was  some  unrecorded  ser¬ 
mon  or  conversation  in  which  he  had  explained  these 
things.  He  said,  44  Remember  ye  not,  that,  when  I  was 
yet  with  you,  I  told  you  of  these  things.”  (2  Thess. 
2:5.)  Many  conjectures  have  been  made  regarding 
this  44  man  of  sin  ”  who  is  taken  as  a  sign  of  the  coming 
of  Jesus.  Every  generation  has  had  heralds  of  his 
appearance,  featured  by  premillennialists.  It  was 
apparently  a  common  appellation  for  any  prominent 
person  who  proved  false  and  may  have  meant  the  Ro¬ 
man  general  that  besieged  Jerusalem.  It  is  worthy 
of  note  that  he  is  called  44  the  son  of  perdition,”  the 
phrase  by  which. Jesus  designated  the  traitor  Judas, 
and  may  be  rendered  44  the  son  of  destruction.”  Jesus 
also  predicted  a  falling  away  before  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  44  Because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love 
of  many  shall  grow  cold.”  (Matt.  24:12.)  There 
must  be  stronger  reasons  than  appear  in  the  text,  to 
prove  that  the  44  man  of  sin  ”  and  44  the  falling  away  ” 


268  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

were  primarily  understood  by  Paul  to  appear  in  the 
twentieth  century.  If  we  admit  that  we  do  not  under¬ 
stand  the  meaning  of  Paul,  we  are  in  good  company. 
Even  Peter,  who  was  much  nearer  to  Paul,  so  near  that 
he  might  have  looked  him  up  and  talked  the  matter  over 
with  him,  was  perplexed  by  his  teaching  on  this  sub¬ 
ject*  He  said,  “  Even  as  our  beloved  brother  Paul, 
also  according  to  the  wisdom  given  unto  him  hath  writ¬ 
ten  unto  you;  as  also  in  all  his  epistles,  speaking  in 
them  of  these  things,  (Judgment  and  the  coming  of 
Christ)  in  which  are  some  things  hard  to  be  under¬ 
stood,  which  they  that  are  unlearned  and  unstable 
wrest,  as  they  do  also  the  other  scriptures  to  their  own 
destruction.”  (2  Pet.  3 : 15,  16.) 

Paul’s  expectation  of  being  alive  at  the  coming  of 
Jesus  seemed  to  fade  with  the  advancing  years.  When 
writing  to  the  Philippians,  he  was  not  expecting  Christ’s 
coming  as  much  as  he  was  his  own  departure.  He  was 
now  a  prisoner  in  Rome  and  his  change  of  fortune 
seems  to  have  modified  his  views  on  the  coming  of  Christ. 
He  wrote,  “  For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is 
gain.  But  if  I  live  in  the  flesh,  this  is  the  fruit  of  my 
labour:  yet  what  I  shall  choose  I  wot  not.  For  I  am 
in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to  depart,  and 
to  be  with  Christ;  which  is  far  better:  nevertheless  to 
abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for  you.”  (Phil.  1 : 
21— 24.)  When  Paul  was  brought  before  Nero,  Em¬ 
peror  of  Rome,  the  second  time,  he  wrote  his  second 
epistle  to  Timothy.  He  closed  with  these  impressive 
declarations,  “  I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick 
and  the  dead  at  His  appearing  and  His  kingdom.  .  .  . 
I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  the  time  of  my  departure 
is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  fin- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


269 


ished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith:  henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which 
the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that 
day:  and  not  to  me  only  but  unto  all  them  that  love 
His  appearing.”  (2  Tim.  4:1-8.) 

The  appearing  here  is  to  44  judge  the  quick  and  the 
dead,”  therefore,  the  great  judgment,  rather  than  a 
millennial  kingdom,  is  the  scene  of  the  revelation  of  the 
full  glory  of  God,  and  the  dispensing  of  the  rewards  of 
righteousness.  While  there  is  no  evidence  in  the  epis¬ 
tles  of  Paul  of  a  millennial  reign  of  Jesus  on  the  earth, 
there  was  ever  before  him  a  clear  conception  of  a  re¬ 
turn  of  Jesus.  At  times  he  conceived  of  him  as  being 
44  at  hand  ”  or  right  near.  This  expression,  44  The 
Lord  is  at  hand  ”  (Phil.  4:  5),  may  mean  the  approach 
of  death  or  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  as  consistently 
as  of  a  coming  judgment,  and  is  often  so  applied.  But 
to  Paul,  the  Lord’s  Supper  was  a  token  of  a  future  com¬ 
ing.  He  said,  44  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and 
drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  forth  the  Lord’s  death  until 
He  come.”  (1  Cor.  11:26.) 

Paul  does  not  attempt  to  systematize  his  views  on 
the  coming  of  Jesus.  As  far  as  his  epistles  indicate, 
he  did  not  attempt  to  work  out  any  details.  He  simply 
makes  broad  statements  regarding  the  coming  of  Jesus, 
and  the  judgment,  except  in  the  earliest  epistles  to 
the  Thessalonian  Church.  But  of  this  he  was  positive, 
44  We  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of 
Christ ;  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in 
his  body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be 
good  or  bad.”  (2  Cor.  5: 10.) 

There  is  only  one  passage  in  the  Epistle  of  James 
that  bears  upon  our  subject.  In  his  incisive  denunci¬ 
ation  of  those  who  are  greedy  for  gold,  and  are  cor- 


—T  '  ■  -  . .  -  -----  _ — 

270  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

rupted  by  pleasure  and  selfishness,  he  exhorted  the 
faithful  to  be  patient  “  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord.” 
“  Stablish  your  hearts,  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
draweth  nigh.”  There  is  nothing  in  this  passage  to 
differentiate  it  from  the  teaching  of  Paul.  The  cer¬ 
tainty  of  having  to  meet  the  Lord,  the  judge  of  all, 
“who  standeth  at  the  door”  (James  5:1-9),  should 
restrain  evil  men  and  spur  them  to  deal  honestly  and 
fairly  with  their  fellows ;  and  inspire  the  saints  “  to 
patient  continuance  in  well  doing,  knowing  that  in  due 
season  they  shall  reap  if  they  faint  not.”  The  state¬ 
ments,  “  For  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh,” 
and  “  Behold,  the  judge  standeth  at  the  door,”  show 
that  James  looked  for  the  immediate  coming  of  the 
Lord  to  judgment.  There  is  no  hint  of  a  millennium 
between  “  the  coming  of  the  Lord  ”  and  the  judgment 
of  the  wicked. 

When  Peter  wrote  his  second  epistle  there  was  much 
questioning  about  the  nearness  of  the  Lord’s  coming 
and  the  predicted  judgment.  In  his  first  epistle  he 
said,  “  For  the  time  is  come  that  judgment  must  begin 
at  the  house  of  God.  And  if  it  first  begin  at  us,  what 
shall  the  end  be  of  them  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of 
God?  And  if  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved  where 
shall  the  ungodly  and  sinner  appear?”  (1  Pet.  4: 
17,  18.)  There  were  backsliders  and  contentious  peo¬ 
ple  in  the  church.  Controversy  was  rife,  and  many 
doubted  the  nearness  of  the  threatened  judgment  and 
scoffed  at  the  prediction  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord, 
saying,  “  Where  is  the  promise  of  His  coming?  for 
since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all  things  continue  as  they 
were  from  the  beginning  of  creation.”  (2  Pet.  3 :  3,  4.) 
Peter  rebuked  these  for  their  folly,  and  assured  them 
that  God  is  not  slack  concerning  His  promise  as  some 


Jesus  Coming  Again  271 

men  count  slackness ;  but  is  longsuffering  to  us-ward, 
not  willing  that  any  should  perish  but  that  all  should 
come  to  repentance.”  (Verse  9.)  Then  he  emphati¬ 
cally  declares  that  “  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as 
a  thief  in  the  night  ”  (Verse  10),  and  describes  the  at¬ 
tendant  catastrophe  in  the  most  lurid  and  startling  lan¬ 
guage.  Peter  does  not  seem  to  know  anything  about  a 
dispensation  of  saving  power,  subsequent  to,  and  far 
superior  and  more  glorious  than  the  gospel  to  be  in¬ 
augurated  by  our  Lord  at  His  coming  again.  To  him 
the  gospel  is  the  last  word  in  the  longsuffering  mercy 
of  God  to  save  the  world.  He  brooks  no  reflection 
upon  the  gospel  because  he  had  been  associated  with 
Jesus  in  the  Holy  Mount  and  through  the  crisis  of  his 
life,  and  spoke  from  first-hand  knowledge.  He  was  ex¬ 
pecting  the  church  to  continue  after  his  death,  and 
wrote  this  epistle  to  warn  them  against  listening  to  the 
detractors  of  the  gospel.  He  said,  “  Moreover,  I  will 
endeavor  that  ye  may  be  able  after  my  decease  to 
have  these  things  always  in  remembrance.  For  we 
have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  when  we 
made  known  unto  you  the  power  and  coming  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  were  eye  witnesses  of  his  maj¬ 
esty.”  (2  Pet.  1:15,  16.) 

Against  the  false  teachers  and  disturbers,  he  pro¬ 
nounces  judgment  and  destruction.  “  Whose  judgment 
now  of  a  long  time  lingereth  not,  and  their  damnation 
slumbereth  not.”  (2  Pet.  2:1-3.)  He  summons  as 
proof  of  the  irrevocable  judgments  of  God,  “  the  an¬ 
gels  that  sinned  ”  and  “  are  reserved  unto  judgment  ” 
(Verses  4,  5,  6),  the  old  world  destroyed  by  water, 
and  the  turning  of  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha 
into  ashes,  and  says,  “  The  Lord  knoweth  how  to  de¬ 
liver  the  godly  out  of  temptation,  and  to  reserve  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


unjust  unto  the  day  of  judgment  to  be  punished.” 
(Verse  9.)  This,  in  brief,  is  the  line  of  argument  that 
led  up  to  the  lurid  description  of  the  dissolution  of 
heaven  and  earth,  in  44  the  day  of  God,”  to  be  re¬ 
placed  by  a  44  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness.”  (&  Pet.  8:10—13.) 

Is  Peter  here  describing  the  consummation  of  all 
things?  Or  is  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
judgment  of  the  Jewish  nation  foretold  by  Jesus  the 
scene  that  occupies  his  attention?  When  he  says  44  all 
things  shall  be  dissolved,”  44  the  heavens  being  on  fire, 
shall  be  dissolved  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fer^ 
vent  heat,”  is  he  speaking  of  the  physical  elements  of 
our  solar  system,  or  the  ecclesiastical  polity  and  the 
civil  government  of  the  Jewish  nation?  Does  the  44  new 
heavens  and  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness  ” 
mean  that  there  will  be  such  a  fire  as  will  dissolve  this 
earth  into  its  original  gases  and  all  the  planets  will  be 
consumed  away?  Or  is  he  in  the  hyperbolic  imagery  of 
Hebrew  prophecy  picturing  in  the  most  impressive  man¬ 
ner  possible  the  passing  away  of  the  whole  Mosaic 
economy,  to  which  the  scoffers  and  false  teachers  were 
clinging,  and  the  utter  dissolution  of  the  whole  civil 
organization;  and  the  emergence  of  a  purified  Chris¬ 
tian  Church,  and  government?  It  is  a  well  known  fact 
of  history  that  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the 
Romans  did  utterly  dissolve  all  the  ecclesiastical  polity 
of  the  Jews,  and  left  them  without  a  vestige  of  their 
national  government.  Peter’s  illustration  of  the  de¬ 
struction  of  44  the  old  world  ”  by  the  flood  gives  sup¬ 
port  to  this  view,  as  also  the  prophetic  descriptions  of 
the  national  catastrophes  that  figure  so  largely  .in  the 
scriptures.  Whatever  view  may  be  accepted,  there  is 
no  trace  here  of  the  gospel  of  salvation  through  faith 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


273 

in  Jesus  being  succeeded  by  a  millennial  reign  of  the 
returned  Lord  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

All  these  predictions  and  scenes  are  of  a  judgment 
to  come,  and  they  are  supported  by  the  national  judg¬ 
ments  of  the  past.  Those  who  look  upon  these  figures 
of  Peter  as  apocalyptic  imagery  drawn  from  the  proph¬ 
ets  of  Israel  have  strong  support  in  the  opening  pas¬ 
sages  of  this  third  chapter,  “  This  second  epistle,  be¬ 
loved,  I  now  write  unto  you:  in  both  which  I  stir  up 
your  pure  minds  by  way  of  remembrance:  that  ye  may 
be  mindful  of  the  words  which  were  spoken  before  by 
the  holy  prophets,  and  of  the  commandment  of  us  the 
apostles  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour.”  (2  Pet.  ’3:1,  2.) 

This  imminent  and  certain  judgment  urged  by  Peter 
is  a  strong  incentive  to  holiness  of  heart  and  life. 
66  Seeing  then  that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved, 
what  manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy 
conversation  and  godliness.”  (Verse  11.)  “Ye, 
therefore,  beloved,  seeing  ye  know  these  things  before* 
beware  lest  ye  also,  being  led  away  with  the  error  of 
the  wicked,  fall  from  your  own  steadfastness,  but  grow 
in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.”  (Verses  16,  17.) 

In  summing  up  the  testimony  of  the  apostles,  it  seems 
quite  evident  that  they  did  expect  the  return  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  in  bodily  form.  Their  national  conceptions 
were  confirmed  by  the  ascension  scene,  when  the  angel 
said  to  them,  “  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing 
up  into  heaven?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up 
from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as 
ye  have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven.”  (Acts  1:11.)  Did 
the  angel  mean  that  Jesus  would  return  in  human  na- 
ture  to  take  up  His  abode  again  among  men,  and  by  a 
personal  bodily  presence  conduct  the  divine  work  of 


274  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


saving  the  world?  Looking  at  the  question  from  this 
distance  in  the  full  light  of  Bible  teaching  and  the  de¬ 
velopments  of  gospel  evangelism  and  Christian  history, 
it  seems  inconceivable  that  this  was  the  meaning  of  the 
angel.  Though  Jesus  arose  from  the  dead  with  His 
physical  body,  a  great  and  mysterious  change  had  taken 
place.  His  confidential  disciples  met  Him,  conversed 
with  Him,  but  did  not  recognize  Him.  The  devoted 
women  who  ministered  unto  Him  met  Him  at  the  sepul¬ 
chre  and  mistook  Him  for  the  gardener.  He  appeared 
in  the  midst  of  His  perplexed  and  frightened  disciples 
in  the  upper  room,  with  the  doors  locked,  and  disap¬ 
peared  without  difficulty  or  inconvenience.  Yet  He 
asked  His  disciples  to  feel  His  flesh  and  bones,  and 
satisfy  themselves  that  He  was  not  a  spirit,  and  He 
ate  with  them.  For  forty  days  He  showed  Himself 
alive  after  His  passion.  This  was  necessary  to  leave 
no  room  to  doubt  the  reality  of  His  resurrection.  But 
who  can  tell  the  condition  of  His  body  when  He 
ascended  unto  heaven  in  the  presence  of  His  astonished 
disciples?  We  are  here  confronted  by  mysterious  spir¬ 
itual  conditions  that  we  cannot  understand.  We  do 
not  know  enough  about  the  ascension  body  of  Jesus  to 
dogmatize  about  the  descension  body,  even  if  He  were  to 
return  in  the  same  bodily  form.  According  to  His  own 
emphatic  statement  to  His  sorrowing  disciples,  His 
saving  and  governing  power  in  His  highly  exalted  po¬ 
sition  at  the  right  hand  of  God  is  far  greater  than  if 
He  were  bodily  present  in  the  world.  He  said,  “  Never¬ 
theless,  I  tell  you  the  truth;  it  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away:  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter 
will  not  come  unto  you;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send 
Him  unto  you.”  (John  16:7.)  Therefore,  His  spir¬ 
itual  presence  is  more  potent  for  the  salvation  of  the 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


275 


world  than  His  bodily  presence.  The  coming  of  the 
[  Son  of  Man  in  His  glory  presents  to  us  a  condition  we 
cannot  describe.  John  on  Patmos  had  a  vision  of  the 
glorified  Presence  and  attempted  a  description,  but  we 

I  cannot  conceive  the  glory  thus  revealed.  This  seems 
merely  like  a  word  picture  of  a  spiritual  reality  that 
is  far  beyond  our  physical  limitations.  We  are  led 
by  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel  to  worship  Jesus  as  an 
infinite  and  Omnipresent  Saviour,  and  we  cannot  now 
think  of  Him  as  a  localized  ruler.  True,  He  did  come 
to  earth  as  a  babe  in  the  manger  and  perfectly  identify 
Himself  with  man,  and  in  His  humiliation  suffered  hu¬ 
man  limitations;  but  this  was  to  reveal  God  the  Father 
to  man  in  such  a  way  that  He  might  be  understood, 
and  by  Plis  own  death  to  atone  for  human  sin  that  man 
might  be  reconciled  to  God.  Now  that  He  has  been 
exalted  as  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  “  Far  above  all 
principalities,  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion, 
and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world, 
but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come,  and  hath  put  all 
things  under  His  feet,  and  gave  Him  to  be  the  head  of 
all  things  to  the  Church,  which  is  His  body,  the  fulness 
of  Him  that  filleth  all  in  all”  (Eph.  1:21-23);  it  is 
impossible  to  think  of  Him  passing  through  a  second 
humiliation,  taking  upon  Himself  again  a  bodily  form, 
and  becoming  a  localized  sovereign  of  the  nations  of  this 
world.  Whatever  may  be  the  nature  of  His  coming 
again,  it  will  be  in  glory  to  judge  the  world,  not  to 
rule  the  world. 

6.  The  Coming  of  Christ  to  Judgment 

We  have  reviewed  the  comings  of  Christ  that  may  be 
spoken  of  as  past,  but  the  New  Testament  gives  promi¬ 
nence  to  a  coming  or  parousia  that  is  yet  future,  and 


276  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


commonly  designated  “  the  second  coming  of  Christ.” 
As  this  phrase  is  not  used  in  the  gospels,  and  there  are 
admittedly  several  comings  mentioned  by  Jesus  and  the 
apostles,  the  application  of  the  phrase  to  the  future 
appearing  of  Christ  is  more  confusing  than  edifying. 
We  have  failed  to  discover  any  scriptural  warrant 
for  the  theory  of  an  earthly  millennial  reign  of  Jesus 
in  the  body.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  not  a  system 
of  divine  government  reserved  for  a  future  display  of 
divine  power  and  glory.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
already  among  men  in  the  earth.  44  And  when  He  was 
demanded  of  the  Pharisees,  when  the  kingdom  of  God 
should  come,  He  answered  them  and  said,  The  kingdom 
of  God  cometh  not  with  observation:  neither  shall  they 
say,  4  Lo,  here !  ’  or,  4  lo,  there !  ’  for,  behold,  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  is  within,  or  among  you.”  (Luke  17 :  20, 
21.)  The  kingdom  of  heaven  as  the  rule  and  realm  of 
God  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men  and  women  regener¬ 
ates  and  controls  the  world  not  by  external  authority 
and  power,  but  by  internal  grace  and  moral  energy  un¬ 
der  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  principles 
and  precepts  of  this  kingdom  are  most  discriminating: 
sifting  the  good  from  the  evil,  condemning  and  destroy¬ 
ing  the  unbelieving  and  disobedient;  and  saving  and 
sanctifying  for  eternal  glory  all  who  believe  in  Jesus 
and  obey  the  gospel.  This  fact  forms  the  startling  call 
of  John  the  Baptist  to  repentance.  He  said: 

And  now,  also,  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees: 
therefore  every  tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is 
hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire.  I  indeed  baptize  you 
with  water  unto  repentance:  but  He  that  cometh  after  me 
is  mightier  than  I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear: 
He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire: 
whose  fan  is  in  His  hand,  and  He  will  throughly  purge 


m 


Jesus  Coming  Again 

His  floor,  and  gather  the  wheat  into  His  garner;  but  He 
will  burn  up  the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire.  (Matt.  3: 
11-13.) 

Throughout  the  scriptures,  this  inscrutable,  un¬ 
erring,  discriminating,  and  sifting  judgment  of  God  is 
clearly  taught  and  strongly  emphasized.  The  writer 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  throws  this  teaching  into 
this  forceful  appeal: 

Let  us  labor,  therefore,  to  enter  into  His  rest,  lest  any 
man  fall  after  the  same  example  of  unbelief.  For  the  word 
is  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged 
Sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and 
spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of 
the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  Neither  is  there  any 
creature  that  is  not  manifest  in  His  sight;  but  all  things 
are  naked  and  open  before  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we 
have  to  do.  (Heb.  4:  11-13.) 

This  omniscient  discernment  of  the  secrets  of  the 
human  heart  lifts  the  judgments  of  God  infinitely  above 
the  frailties  and  limitations  of  the  human  mind.  This 
is  why  even  the  most  enlightened  men  are  led  to  the 
conclusion  of  Paul:  “O  the  depths  of  the  riches  both 
of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God !  how  unsearchable 
are  thy  judgments  and  thy  ways  past  finding  out.” 
(Rom.  11 :  33.) 

The  reality  of  a  “  judgment  to  come  ”  lies  at  the 
base  of  all  apostolic  teaching.  The  day  of  judgment 
is  familiarly  referred  to  as  “  the  day  of  the  Lord  ”  and 
“  that  day.”  When  preaching  on  Mars  Hill,  Paul  de¬ 
clared,  “  And  the  times  of  this  ignorance  God  winked 
at ;  but  now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent : 
because  He  hath  appointed  a  day,  in  the  which  He  wilj 
judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by  that  man  whom 
He  hath  ordained ;  whereof  He  gives  assurance  unto  all 


2781  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

men,  in  that  He  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead.” 
(Acts  17:30,  31.)  This  judgment  will  take  place  at 
the  coming  or  appearing  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  To  Timo¬ 
thy,  Paul  wrote,  “  I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick 
and  the  dead,  at  His  appearing  and  His  kingdom.” 
(2  Tim.  4: 1,  8.)  In  that  day  appointed  of  God,  Paul 
expected  to  receive  the  crown  of  life  from  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  judge.  Not  only  are  the  unrighteous  con¬ 
demned  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  the  saints 
are  rewarded.  The  punishment  of  the  wicked  and 
glory  of  the  saints  are  so  connected  with  the  coming  of 
Jesus  that  it  is  only  by  an  unwarranted  violence  to 
plain  language  that  a  millennial  period  can  be  thrust 
between  them.  In  his  first  epistle  to  the  Thessalonians, 
after  he  explains  to  the  Christians  the  comforting  fact 
that  those  which  are  “  alive  and  remain  at  His  coming 
will  not  prevent  (or  go  before)  them  which  are  asleep  ” 
(1  Thess.  4:15),  he  proceeds  in  the  next  chapter  to 
connect  with  “  the  day  of  the  Lord,”  judgment  and 
destruction.  In  the  second  epistle  he  leaves  no  room 
to  doubt  the  close  connection  of  the  salvation  of  the 
faithful  and  the  destruction  of  the  disobedient  at  “  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.” 

4 

We  are  bound  to  thank  God  always  for  you,  brethren, 
as  it  is  meet,  because  that  your  faith  groweth  exceedingly, 
and  the  charity  of  every  one  of  you  all  toward  each  other 
aboundeth;  so  that  we  ourselves  glory  in  the  churches  of 
God  for  vour  patience  and  faith  in  all  your  persecutions 
and  tribulations  that  ye  endure:  which  is  a  manifest  token 
of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  counted 
worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  which  ye  also  suffer: 
seeing  that  it  is  a  righteous  thing  with  God  to  recompense 
tribulation  to  them  that  trouble  you;  and  to  you  who  are 
troubled  rest  with  us,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  re- 


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279 


vealed  from  heaven  with  His  mighty  angels,  in  flaming  fire 
taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God  and  obey  not 
the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  who  shall  be  punished 
with  everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
and  from  the  glory  of  His  power;  when  He  shall  come  to 
be  glorified  in  His  saints,  and  to  be  admired  of  all  them 
that  believe  (because  our  testimony  among  you  was  be¬ 
lieved)  in  that  day.  (2  Thess.  1:  3-10.) 

This  is  one  of  Paul’s  comprehensive  sentences,  in 
which  he  gathers  up  so  many  details  of  the  gospel 
teaching.  He  contrasts  the  evident  glory  of  those  who 
believe  in  Jesus  with  the  sure  destruction  of  those  who 
disobey  the  gospel  “  in  that  day  ”  when  the  Lord  shall 
be  revealed  from  heaven  to  take  vengeance  in  flaming 
fire,  on  them  that  know  not  God,  when  He  shall  come 
to  be  glorified  in  His  saints.  There  is  no  mistaking 
the  connection.  The  revelation  of  vengeance  is  when 
He  comes  to  be  glorified,  accompanied  by  the  angels 
from  heaven. 

Peter,  when  preaching  to  Cornelius,  said  that  Jesus 
commanded  them  (the  apostles)  “  to  preach  unto  the 
people  and  testify  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  ordained 
of  God  to  be  judge  of  the  quick  and  the  dead.”  (Acts 
10:42.)  In  his  second  epistle,  he  connects  the  judg¬ 
ment  with  “  the  day  of  the  Lord  ”  when  the  Lord  shall 
come  in  the  destroying  fire.  (2  Pet.  3.)  Jude  joins 
this  coming  to  judgment  with  the  prophecies  of  Enoch, 
the  seventh  from  Adam,  saying,  “  Behold  the  Lord  com- 
eth  with  ten  thousand  of  His  saints,  to  execute  judg¬ 
ment  upon  all,  and  to  convince  all  that  are  ungodly 
among  them  of  all  their  ungodly  deeds  which  they  have 
ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard  speeches  which 
ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  Him.”  (Jude 
14:15.) 

There  is,  therefore,  a  unanimity  of  apostolic  testi- 


280 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


mony  that  when  the  Lord  cometh  in  “  that  day,”  it 
will  be  for  judgment.  To  get  the  basis  of  this  doctrine, 
wre  naturally  turn  to  the  gospels  which  record  the 
teaching  of  Jesus.  We  have  reviewed  the  predicted 
judgment  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Jewish  nation  and  its 
fulfilment,  as  well  as  the  judgments  upon  the  other  na¬ 
tions  that  opposed  the  truth  and  persecuted  the  saints. 
These  national  judgments  form  the  background  of  the 
general  teaching  of  a  great  judgment  of  the  world  yet 
to  come.  Jesus  kept  the  emphasis  upon  the  judgments 
of  God  as  a  warning  against  indifference  and  sin,  and 
as  an  incentive  to  diligent  faith  and  holiness.  In  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  He  urged,  “  Enter  ye  in  at  the 
strait  gate,”  and  shows  the  danger  of  entering  the 
broad  way  of  destruction.  He  also  gives  the  infallible 
test  of  character  in  the  fruit  of  the  life,  and  says, 
“  Many  shall  say  to  me  in  that  day,  4  Lord,  Lord,  have 
we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name?  and  in  thy  name  have 
cast  out  devils  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful 
works  ?  ’  Then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew 
you:  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity.”  (Matt. 
7 :  13—23.)  All  through  the  teaching  of  Jesus  is  the 
condemnation  of  sin  and  the  emphasis  upon  a  coming 
judgment,  when  the  inequalities  of  life  will  be  adjudi¬ 
cated  and  a  just  recompense  will  be  awarded  to  every 
person  according  to  his  works,  whether  they  be  good 
or  bad.  As  He  draws  nearer  the  close  of  His  ministry, 
and  the  opposition  against  Him  increases,  He  becomes 
more  definite  and  pronounced  regarding  the  coming 
judgment.  In  His  closing  addresses  in  the  temple,  He 
announces  the  awful  woes  upon  the  “  scribes  and  Phari¬ 
sees,  hypocrites,”  which  lead  up  to  the  prediction  of 
judgment  on  the  Holy  City  and  the  whole  common¬ 
wealth  of  Israel.  In  this  national  judgment  is  given  us 


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281 


an  earnest  of  the  jnst  judgment  of  God  against  all 
ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men.  In  illustrat¬ 
ing  this  fact,  Jesus  recalls  the  judgment  upon  the  old 
world  and  says,  44  As  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be.”  (Matt.  24:37.) 
The  conditions  which  prevailed  when  fire  was  rained 
upon  the  cities  of  the  plains  prevailed  when  Jerusalem 
was  destro3^ed  by  the  fire  of  the  Romans,  just  as  they 
prevailed  when  Babylon  was  taken  by  Darius,  the  Mede, 
and  when  Halifax,  N.  S.,  was  destroyed  by  the  awful 
explosion  on  December  6,  1917,  and  doubtless  will  pre¬ 
vail  when  the  Son  of  Man  comes  to  judgment  and  all 
the  holy  angels  with  Him.  Persons  will  be  engaged  in 
their  ordinary  employments  and  one  will  be  taken 
and  another  left.  This  is  the  outstanding  fact  the 
parables  of  judgment  press  upon  us  with  such  intense 
urgency.  In  the  parable  of  the  servant  who  is  set 
to  guard  the  house,  he  knows  not  when  the  thief  may 
come,  therefore,  he  must  keep  a  sharp  lookout.  44  But 
if  that  evil  servant  shall  say  in  his  heart,  4  My  Lord 
delayeth  his  coming,’  and  shall  begin  to  smite  his  fellow- 
servants,  and  to  eat  and  drink  with  the  drunken;  the 
lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh 
not  for  him,  and  in  an  hour  that  he  is  not  aware  of,  and 
shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  his  portion  with  the 
hypocrites :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.”  (Matt.  24:42-51.) 

Matthew  groups  the  judgment  parables  of  Jesus  in 
order  of  climax  so  as  to  make  the  most  profound  im¬ 
pression.  The  parable  of  the  virgins  teaches  the  ne¬ 
cessity  of  inward  grace  as  a  qualification  for  admission 
into  the  marriage  feast  when  the  bridegroom  comes. 
At  the  midnight  cry,  44  all  those  virgins  arose.”  (Matt. 
25: 1-13,)  It  is  only  by  a  very  strange  perversion  of 


282 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


language  that  a  millennial  period  can  be  inserted  be¬ 
tween  the  rising  of  the  wise  and  that  of  the  foolish  vir¬ 
gins.  The  wise  were  qualified  and  ready  to  enter  into 
the  feast  with  the  bridegroom ;  the  foolish  were  not  pre¬ 
pared  and  were  shut  out. 

In  the  parable  of  the  talents,  the  emphasis  is  upon 
the  necessity  of  profitably  using  the  talents  we  have, 
be  they  less  or  more.  (Matt.  25: 14^-30.)  We  might 
group  with  this  the  parable  of  the  pounds  which  teaches 
practically  the  same  lesson.  (Luke  19:12—27.)  At 
the  return  of  the  lord  all  those  servants  were  called 
upon  to  render  an  account  of  their  talents  or  pounds. 
Those  who  had  profitably  used  theirs  were  suitably  re¬ 
warded.  The  unprofitable  servant  who  failed  to  use 
his  talent  was  cast  into  outer  darkness :  where  44  there 
shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.”  Of  the  serv¬ 
ant  who  failed  to  increase  his  pound,  the  order  was, 
44  Take  from  him  the  pound  and  give  it  to  him  that 
hath  ten  pounds.”  (Luke  19:24,  27.)  “But  those 
mine  enemies  which  would  not  that  I  should  reign  over 
them,  bring  them  hither  and  slay  them  before  me.”  In 
these  judgment  scenes,  the  faithful  and  the  unfaithful 
are  judged  at  the  same  time.  Otherwise  the  lord  could 
not  have  said,  44  Take  ye  therefore  the  talent  from  him, 
and  give  it  unto  him  that  hath  ten  talents.”  (Matt. 
25  :  28 ;  compare  Luke  19 :  24.) 

Then  follows  the  great  judgment  scene  44  when  the 
Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  glory,  and  all  the  holy 
angels  with  Him,  then  shall  He  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
His  glory:  and  before  Him  shall  be  gathered  all  na¬ 
tions.”  (Matt.  25:31,  46.)  It  is  to  be  taken  for 
granted  that  all  nations  here  means  all  the  people. 
When  we  speak  of  nations,  we  certainly  mean  the  peo¬ 
ple  who  compose  the  nations.  The  attempt  to  make  a 


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283 


distinction  here  between  the  Gentiles  and  the  Jews  is 
very  arbitrary  and  unwarranted.  The  all  is  universal 
and  includes  the  Jewish  nation  as  well  as  the  Gentile 
nation.  But  the  elimination  of  the  Jews  from  this 
assembly  for  judgment  does  not  alter  the  principle. 
The  basis  of  judgment  is  the  service  rendered  unto  the 
hungry,  naked,  sick,  and  prisoners.  The  good  and 
the  bad  stood  together  and  were  separated  “  as  a  shep¬ 
herd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats.”  (Verse  32.) 
The  merciful  were  surprised  at  the  good  accredited  to 
them,  the  negligent  were  equally  surprised  at  their  con¬ 
demnation  for  their  neglect.  But  to  those  on  the  right 
the  King  shall  say,  “  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  in¬ 
herit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  the  world.”  (Verse  34.)  “  Then  shall  He  say 

to  those  on  His  left,  4  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.’  ” 
(Verse  41.)  “These  shall  go  away  into  everlasting 
punishment;  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal.” 
(Verse  46.)  In  these  judgment  parables  there  is  no 
room  whatever  for  an  extended  period  between  the  judg¬ 
ment  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  If  they  are  not 
presented  together  before  the  great  tribunal,  the  lan¬ 
guage  is  very  misleading,  and  there  is  no  possibility  of 
reasoning  it  away  on  any  accepted  rules  of  exegesis. 
This  is  in  harmony  with  all  the  teaching  of  the  gospels. 
In  the  parable  of  the  tares,  the  wheat  and  the  tares 
grow  together  until  “  the  end  of  the  age  ”  when  “  the 
Son  of  Man  shall  send  his  angels  and  they  shall  gather 
out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend,  and  them 
which  do  iniquity ;  and  shall  cast  them  into  the  furnace 
of  fire:  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.” 
(Matt.  13:  40—42.)  The  same  truth  is  set  forth  in  the 
parable  of  the  drag  net.  (Matt.  13:47—50.) 


284 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Another  impressive  truth  common  to  all  these 
parables  of  judgment  is  the  element  of  finality.  In 
both  the  parable  of  the  tares,  and  of  the  drag  net,  the 
assorting  is  at  the  end  of  the  age.  There  is  no  intima¬ 
tion  of  any  further  term  of  probation  or  new  dispen¬ 
sation  of  saving  power.  The  basis  of  salvation  is  the 
gospel  of  Jesus.  There  is  no  hope  held  out  to  those 
who  are  rejected  in  this  judgment.  The  servant  who 
fails  to  watch  is  44  cut  off  ”  or  44  cut  asunder.”  (Matt. 
24:51.)  That  is  final.  When  the  foolish  virgins  re¬ 
turn  after  the  bridegroom  has  gone  in,  they  find  the 
door  shut  against  them.  All  their  pleading  then  is 
unavailing.  The  emphatic  reply  is,  44  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  I  know  you  not.”  (Matt.  25:  10-12.)  That  is 
an  end  of  the  matter.  The  wicked  and  slothful  servant 
is  cast  into  outer  darkness.  There  is  no  promise  of 
relief.  (Matt.  25:30.)  Those  who  failed  to  minister 
44  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren  ”  go  into 
everlasting  punishment.  (Matt.  25:40,  46.)  Those 
who  do  not  strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate, 
and  are  unprepared  to  go  in  when  44  the  master  of  the 
house  has  risen  up  and  shut  to  the  door,”  may  stand 
without  and  knock  at  the  door  pleading  for  admission, 
but  the  only  answer  evoked  is,  44 1  know  you  not  whence 
ye  are.  Depart  from  me,  ye  workers  of  iniquity.” 
(Luke  13:24^-30.) 

This  teaching  of  the  final  judgment  at  the  final  com¬ 
ing  of  Jesus  raises  many  questions  that  are  inexplicable, 
because  we  have  no  revelation  regarding  them.  The 
Bible  does  not  enter  into  detail  regarding  the  future 
life.  It  simply  sets  the  facts  before  us  in  broad  out¬ 
line.  There  is  not  even  an  attempt  to  systematize 
these  outlines.  The  little  we  have  is  positive.  It  is 
given  with  divine  authority,  and  is  enough  to  stimulate 


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285 


hope  and  keep  the  faithful  soul  calm  and  peaceful,  look¬ 
ing  for  that  44  city  which  hath  foundations  whose 
builder  and  maker  is  God.”  (Heb.  11:10.)  The 
paucity  of  detail  produces  a  temptation  to  indulge  in 
conjecture  and  mystical  speculations.  It  is  such  spec¬ 
ulations  that  have  led  to  so  much  confusion  of  thought. 
It  is  helpful  to  note  that  Jesus  discouraged  in  His  dis¬ 
ciples  all  attempts  to  discern  the  secret  things  of  God. 
When  they  asked  for  the  positions  of  honor  He  quickly 
replied,  44  it  is  not  mine  to  give.”  (Matt.  20:  20,  28.) 
When  they  asked,  44  Are  there  few  that  be  saved?  ”  He 
replied,  44  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate.”  (Luke 
13:23,  24.)  After  His  resurrection,  it  would  be  nat¬ 
ural  to  suppose  that  Jesus  would  talk  more  about  the 
other  world  and  give  more  detailed  information  about 
the  divine  procedure,  but  He  observed  a  very  discreet 
silence.  The  burden  of  His  post  resurrection  talks 
was  to  prepare  His  disciples  to  minister  more  intelli¬ 
gently  and  effectively  to  this  world,  with  the  assurance 
that  it  was  by  faithful  service  that  they  could  make  sure 
of  the  hereafter.  44  He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is 
least,  is  faithful  also  in  much:  and  he  that  is  unjust  in 
the  least,  is  unjust  in  much.”  (Luke  16: 10.)  There¬ 
fore,  when  the  disciples  asked  of  their  Lord,  44  Wilt  thou 
at  this  time  restore  again  the  kingdom  of  Israel?  ”  He 
said,  44  Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem, 
and  in  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  utter¬ 
most  parts  of  the  earth.”  (Acts  1 :  6-8.) 

We  need  not  be  anxious  to  know  the  divine  procedure, 
or  how  the  final  judgment  of  God  will  work  out  in  detail. 
It  is  enough  for  us  to  be  impressed  with  the  reality  of 
the  righteous  judgments  of  God,  and  to  know  that  God 
in  the  holiness  of  His  being  will  judge  according  to  the 
eternal  moral  principles  of  His  kingdom.  The  applica- 


£86  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


tion  of  these  principles  is  involved  in  all  the  national 
and  particular  judgments  accredited  to  God.  These 
judgments  of  the  Old  Testament  adumbrate  the  final 
judgment  which  is  before  us.  Thus  we  have  the  na¬ 
tional  judgment  of  Israel  intertwined  in  the  thought 
and  teaching  of  the  gospel  with  the  final  judgment. 

Both  events  appear  in  the  discourse  (Matt.  24)  and  they 
appear  together.  But  this  is  only  in  accordance  with  Bib¬ 
lical  prophecy,  and  in  this  again  the  Lord  attaches  Himself 
to  the  Old  Testament.  Events  which  history  shows  to  have 
been  widely  separated  are  brought  together  in  what  has 
been  described  as  prophetic  perspective  or  timeless  se¬ 
quence  or  casual  connection  or  as  if  one  formed  part  of 
the  other.  In  the  great  prophecies  of  judgment  and  in 
those  also  of  deliverance,  distinct  and  separate  occurrences 
are  often  given  in  the  one  figure.  In  the  eighth  and  ninth 
chapters  of  Isaiah,  for  example,  the  deliverance  from  the 
Assyrian  invader  and  the  rise  of  the  great  light  or  the 
Prince  of  Peace  are  described  as  if  they  were  synchronous, 
or  one  and  the  same  event.  In  the  announcements  of  judg¬ 
ment  which  are  made  by  Zephaniah  and  Obadiah,  the  final 
judgment  and  the  preliminary  partial  acts  of  judgment 
appear  to  be  identical.  The  deliverances  and  chastise¬ 
ments  of  the  near  future  are  interpreted  as  the  coming  of 
Jehovah,  or  advent  of  His  kingdom,  and  are  regarded  as 
embracing  all  future  deliverances  or  judgments.  The  end 
of  Israel’s  history  was  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  on  earth,  and  in  every  stage  of  the  history  that  king¬ 
dom  was  coming.  In  the  long  process  of  redemption  and 
judicial  acts  which  made  up  that  history,  the  prophets,  rec¬ 
ognized  in  each  such  act  a  real  and  a  relatively  decisive 
advent  of  God  and  His  kingdom.  In  His  eschatological 
discourses,  Christ  recognizes,  as  Old  Testament  prophecy 
did,  the  partial  and  preliminary  manifestations  of  the  king¬ 
dom  as  involving  the  final.  He  speaks  of  the  two  as  one 
and  declares  before  the  council  that  henceforth,  from  the 
then  present  time,  they  would  “  see  him  sitting  at  the  right 
hand  of  power  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.”  (R. 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


287 


V.)  (Dr.  Salmond,  The  Christian  Doctrine  of  Immortal - 
ity,  page  244.) 

This  outstanding  feature  of  the  prophetical  and 
apocalyptical  writings  of  the  Bible  must  be  kept  in 
mind  when  we  study  the  judgment  scenes  depicted  by 
John  in  Revelation.  Amid  the  imagery  with  which  he 
describes  the  great  religious  and  political  upheavals 
that  were  pending,  he  sets  forth  the  final  judgment  in 
a  most  graphic  manner.  He  says : 

And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  Him  that  sat  on  it, 
from  whose  face  the  heaven  and  the  earth  fled  away;  and 
there  was  no  more  place  for  them.  And  I  saw  the  dead 
small  and  great  stand  before  God;  and  the  books  were 
opened;  and  another  book  was  opened  which  is  the  book 
of  life:  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things  which 
were  written  in  the  books  according  to  their  works.  And 
the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which  was  in  it;  and  death  and 
hell  (or  hades)  delivered  up  the  dead  which  were  in  them: 
and  they  were  judged  every  man  according  to  his  works. 
And  death  and  hell  were  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire.  This  is 
the  second  death.  And  whosoever  was  not  found  written  in 
the  book  of  life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  (Rev.  20: 
11-15.) 

The  claim  of  the  millennialists  that  the  righteous 
had  been  judged  a  thousand  years  before,  and  this  judg¬ 
ment  was  of  “  the  rest  of  the  dead  ”  or  the  wicked  dead, 
is  not  supported  by  the  language.  The  book  of  life 
was  the  exclusive  record  of  the  saints  and  the  mention 
of  it  as  one  of  the  books  from  which  the  dead  were 
judged,  suggests  the  presence  of  the  righteous  before 
the  great  white  throne,  just  as  in  the  judgment  scene  de¬ 
picted  by  Jesus,  the  faithful  heirs  of  the  kingdom  were 
before  “the  throne  of  his  glory.”  (Matt.  25:31.) 
Jesus,  in  His  impressive  discourse  on  the  judgment, 
said,  “  Marvel  not  at  this :  for  the  hour  is  coming  in 


288  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  which  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  come  forth: 
they  that  have  done  good  unto  the  resurrection  of  life, 
and  they  that  have  done  evil  unto  the  resurrection  of 
damnation.”  (John  5:28,  29.) 

There  is  no  justification  for  attempting  to  set  the 
judgment  of  the  evil  a  millennium  after  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  and  judgment  of  the  righteous.  We  are  not  able 
to  determine  how  much  time  may  be  consumed  in  the 
execution  of  judgment;  but  there  is  no  intimation  of  a 
new  dispensation  of  saving  power  intervening.  Both 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked  will  be  called  forth  to 
judgment  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  This  com¬ 
ing  of  Jesus  to  judgment  is  final.  As  the  gospel  of 
salvation  through  the  benefits  of  the  atonement  of  Jesus 
under  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Spirit  exhausts  the 
moral  pressure  of  redeeming  mercy  and  saving  grace, 
the  coming  of  Christ  to  judge  the  world  in  righteous¬ 
ness  is  the  last  scene. 

There  can  be  no  more  moral  tests.  The  test  under  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  final ,  not  because  God  is  arbitrary  and  un¬ 
willing,  but  simply  because  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  exhausts  all  moral  procedure.  There  is  nothing 
more  that  can  he  done.  Of  course  if  sainthood  were  au¬ 
tomatic,  much  more  could  be  done;  but  inasmuch  as  it  is 
and  must  be  moral  (to  be  sainthood),  the  notion  of  a  sec¬ 
ond  probation  is  inconceivable.  {The  Christian  Faith,  by 
Dr.  Olin  Curtis,  page  343.) 

If  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  exhausts  all 
moral  procedure  and  makes  a  second  probation  incon¬ 
ceivable,  it  also  makes  a  future  dispensation  of  salva¬ 
tion  on  any  terms  inconceivable.  Moral  salvation  must 
be  granted  and  received  on  moral  conditions  and  by 
moral  methods.  There  is  no  hint  in  the  scriptures  of 
salvation  ever  being  imparted  on  other  than  the  moral 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


289 


terms  of  the  personal  faith  and  obedience  of  a  free  per¬ 
sonality. 

The  seal  of  finality  is  everywhere  stamped  upon  the 
gospel  of  Jesus.  The  parable  of  the  householder  who 
planted  a  vineyard  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen  clearly 
teaches  that  the  coming  of  the  Son  was  the  supreme 
and  final  effort  of  God  to  save  the  world.  True,  the 
vineyard  is  taken  from  the  wicked  husbandmen  and 
let  out  unto  others,  which  shall  render  unto  the  house¬ 
holder  the  fruits  in  their  season.  (Matt.  21:33-43.) 
The  application  of  this  parable  is :  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  will  be  taken  from  the  faithless,  rebellious  Jews 
and  given  to  the  Gentiles,  “  a  nation  bringing  forth 
fruits  thereof.”  There  is  no  intimation  of  any  change 
in  the  vineyard  or  terms  of  tenure.  “  The  stone  re¬ 
jected  ”  by  the  rulers  of  the  Jews  is  the  head  of  the 
corner.  “  Be  it  known  unto  you  all,  and  to  all  the 
people  of  Israel,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Nazareth,  whom  ye  crucified,  whom  God  raised  from 
the  dead,  even  by  Him  doth  this  man  stand  here  before 
you  whole.  This  is  the  stone  set  at  naught  of  you 
builders  which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner. 
Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other:  for  there  is 
none  other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men, 
whereby  we  must  be  saved.”  (Acts  4:  10,  11.) 

In  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  the  tor¬ 
mented  Dives  had  great  concern  for  his  five  brethren, 
who  were  in  danger  of  sharing  his  suffering,  and  he 
urged  that  Lazarus  be  released  and  sent  back  to  earth 
to  warn  them.  Abraham  says,  “  They  have  Moses  and 
the  prophets :  let  them  hear  them.”  But  Dives  pleaded, 
“  Nay,  Father  Abraham:  but  if  one  went  unto  them 
from  the  dead,  they  will  repent.”  But  Abraham  gave 
the  decisive  reply,  “  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the 


290  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded,  though  one 
rose  from  the  dead.”  (Luke  16 :  19—31.)  This  is  final. 
Those  who  reject  the  Son  under  the  appeal  of  the  gos¬ 
pel  have  no  other  age  or  dispensation  to  which  they  can 
turn. 

There  is  one  passage  that  seems  to  support  the  mil- 
lennialist  theory  of  a  second  coming  of  Jesus  unto 
salvation,  except  when  studied  with  its  full  context. 
The  passage  reads :  44  And  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men 

once  to  die,  but  after  this  the  judgment:  so  Christ  was 
once  offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many;  and  unto  them 
that  look  for  Him  shall  He  appear  a  second  time  with¬ 
out  sin  unto  salvation.”  (Heb.  9:  27,  28.) 

Does  this  mean  that  the  apostles  were  looking  for  a 
new  and  larger  dispensation  of  saving  power  at  the 
second  coming  of  Jesus?  If  the  writer  of  this  epistle 
considered  the  gospel  inadequate  for  the  salvation  of 
the  world,  and  believed  that  Christ  must  come  again 
without  a  sin  offering  to  save  men  from  sin,  surely  this 
expectation  would  reveal  itself  elsewhere  in  the  epistle. 
There  is  one  other  passage  that  expresses  an  immediate 
coming  of  Jesus,  but  it  does  not  hint  of  any  future  and 
more  glorious  dispensation  of  saving  power.  On  the 
contrary,  salvation  by  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  is  the  sole 
preparation  for  receiving  44  the  promise  ”  when  He 
comes.  44  Cast  not  away,  therefore,  your  confidence 
which  hath  great  recompense  of  reward.  For  ye  have 
need  of  patience,  that  after  ye  have  done  the  will  of 
God,  ye  might  receive  the  promise.  For  yet  a  little 
while,  and  He  that  shall  come  will  come,  and  will  not 
tarry.”  (Heb.  10:35-37.) 

The  immediate  coming  of  Christ  here  set  forth  may 
refer  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  which  was  of 
such  intense  concern  to  these  Hebrew  Christians.  At 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


291 


all  events,  the  subject  the  writer  was  urging,  was  sure 
and  swift  punishment  upon  those  who  opposed  the  gos¬ 
pel  and  persecuted  the  saints  (Heb.  10  :  20—39),  par¬ 
ticularly  those  who  turned  away  from  the  faith,  “  who 
hath  trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath 
counted  the  blood  of  the  covenant,  wherewith  he  was 
sanctified  an  unholy  thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto 
the  throne  of  grace.”  Yet  a  very  little  time  and  the 
Lord  shall  come  to  judge  this  people  and  execute  judg¬ 
ment  upon  this  rebellious  country.  “  This  is  deter¬ 
mined  because  they  have  filled  up  the  measure  of  their 
iniquity,  and  their  destruction  slumbereth  not.”  The 
same  swift  and  certain  destruction  cometh  upon  every 
one  who  sins  “  wilfully  after  that  he  has  received  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.”  (Heb.  10:26.)  He  that 
rejects  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  as  an  offering  for  sin,  can 
find  no  other  means  of  salvation.  But  the  writer  says, 
“  We  are  not  of  them  that  draw  back  unto  perdition ; 
but  of  them  that  believe  to  the  saving  of  the  soul.” 

Throughout  this  epistle  the  writer  contrasts  the  per¬ 
fect  sacrifice  of  Jesus  for  sins  with  the  imperfect  sacri¬ 
fices  under  the  ceremonial  law  of  Moses.  The  whole 
argument  keeps  a  distinct  emphasis  upon  the  all  suf¬ 
ficiency  of  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Jesus  for  the  sin  of 
the  world.  In  contrast  with  the  saving  efficacy  of  the 
ceremonial  and  typical  offerings  for  sin  at  the  altar  of 
the  sanctuary,  he  says  with  strong  emphasis,  “  How 
much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the 
eternal  Spirit,  offered  Himself  without  spot  to  God, 
purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the 
living  God.”  (Heb.  9:13,  14.)  To  the  mind  of  the 
writer,  there  was  nothing  beyond  this.  The  atonement 
of  Jesus  exhausted  all  moral  procedure  for  the  salva¬ 
tion  of  men.  He  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  Jesus  is 

4? 


292  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


66  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come  unto  God 
by  Him,  seeing  that  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession 
for  them.”  (Heb.  7 :  25.) 

The  44  appearing  the  second  time  without  a  sin  offer¬ 
ing  unto  salvation  ”  must  be  interpreted  consistently 
with  the  whole  teaching  of  the  epistle.  The  immediate 
context  shows  that  the  writer  is  here  also  contrasting 
the  saving  power  of  Jesus  with  the  imperfect  atone¬ 
ment  offered  yearly  by  the  priests,  which  was  a  figure 
of  the  true  atoning  blood  of  Christ.  The  great  issues 
of  life  and  salvation  through  the  gospel  presses  to  the 
front  the  final  consummation.  Not  the  coming  of  Jesus 
a  second  time  to  establish  a  new  dispensation  of  saving 
power  on  the  earth,  but  to  judge  the  world  and  receive 
to  Himself  in  the  heavenly  glory  all  44  who  believe  to  the 
saving  of  their  souls.”  44  For  it  is  appointed  unto 
men  once  to  die;  but  after  this,  the  judgment.”  (Heb. 
9  :27.)  During  the  nearly  two  thousand  years  since 
this  trite  observation  was  made,  men  and  women  have 
been  dying,  multitudes  44  without  hope  and  without  God 
in  the  world  ” ;  while  multitudes  have  gone  down  into 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  leaning  upon  the  unseen  arm  of 
the  loving  Saviour.  Whatever  may  be  the  time  or  cir¬ 
cumstance  of  the  final  coming  of  Jesus  to  judge  the 
world  in  righteousness,  multitudes  of  both  good  and 
bad  are  passing  from  this  world  into  the  great  beyond, 
44  To  that  country  from  whose  bourn  no  traveller  e’er 
returns.” 

There  is,  however,  the  gracious  expectation  of  a 
glorious  resurrection,  when  by  the  power  of  God 
through  Christ  the  promise  of  heaven  will  be  fulfilled  to 
all  who  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus,  as  well  as  to  all  the 
saints  wrho  are  alive  at  His  coming. 

As  sure  a§  44  it  is  appointed  unto  man  once  to  die,  but- 


Jesus  Coming  Again 


293 


after  this  the  judgment,”  just  so  sure  was  Christ  of¬ 
fered  upon  the  Cross  of  Calvary  to  bear  the  sins  of  the 
world,  “  for  He  tasted  death  for  every  man.”  (Heb. 
2:9.)  It  is  equally  sure  that  unto  them  who  are  saved 
by  grace  through  faith,  “shall  He  appear  a  second 
time  without  sin  unto  salvation.” 

The  distinction  between  the  first  coming  “  as  a  sin 
offering,”  and  the  second  “  without  a  sin  offering  ”  is 
onto  those  who  believe.  The  first  coming  was  to  pre¬ 
pare  for  all  a  perfect  atonement  for  sin.  Those  who 
accept  this  atonement  and  believe  to  the  saving  of  their 
souls,  anticipate  with  joy  the  second  coming  to  receive 
them  into  the  eternal  glory  of  the  many  mansions  of  the 
Father’s  house. 

In  this  second  coming,  “  there  is  an  allusion  to  the 
return  of  the  high  priest;  from  the  inner  tabernacle; 
for,  after  appearing  there  in  the  presence  of  God  and 
making  atonement  for  the  people  in  the  plain  dress  of 
an  ordinary  priest  (Lev.  16:23,  24),  he  came  out  ar¬ 
rayed  in  his  magnificent  robes,  to  bless  the  people 
who  waited  for  him  in  the  court  of  the  tabernacle  of 
the  congregation.”  (Clark’s  Commentary ,  page  751.) 
Dr.  MacKnight  says,  “  There  will  be  this  difference  be¬ 
tween  the  return  of  Christ  to  bless  His  people,  and  the 
return  of  the  high  priest  to  bless  the  congregation. 
The  latter,  after  coming  out  of  the  most  holy  place 
made  a  new  atonement  in  his  pontifical  robes  for  him¬ 
self  and  for  the  people  (Lev.  16:24),  which  showed 
that  the  former  atonement  was  not  real  but  typical. 
Whereas  Jesus  after  having  made  atonement  (and  pre¬ 
sented  Himself  in  heaven  before  God)  will  not  return 
to  the  earth  for  the  purpose  of  making  Himself  a  sacri¬ 
fice  the  second  time:  but  having  procured  eternal  re¬ 
demption  for  us,  by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself  once  offered, 


294  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 

He  will  return  for  the  purpose  of  declaring  to  them 
who  wait  for  Him  that  they  are  accepted,  and  of  be¬ 
stowing  on  them  the  great  blessing  of  eternal  life. 
This  reward  He,  being  surrounded  by  the  glory  of  the 
Father  (Matt.  16:27),  will  give  them  in  the  presence 
of  an  assembled  universe,  both  as  their  Tting  and  their 
priest.  This  is  the  great  salvation  which  Christ  came 
to  preach,  and  which  was  confirmed  to  the  world  by 
them  that  heard  him.”  (Ibid.,  page  751.) 

When  Christ  shall  “  appear  a  second  time  unto  sal¬ 
vation,”  it  will  not  be  to  give  the  world  a  better  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  be  saved  on  easier  terms,  but  to  bestow  upon 
those  who  are  trusting  in  Jesus  as  their  Saviour  the 
crowning  glory  of  their  faith  and  hope,  a  full  and  final 
salvation  from  all  worldly  conditions  and  limitations.  1 
This  is  the  very  highest  salvation  of  which  man  is 
capable.  Hence,  Paul  wrote  to  the  saints  of  Philippi, 

“  For  our  conversation  is  in  heaven,  from  whence  also 
we  look  for  the  Savior,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  who  shall 
change  our  vile  body  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto 
His  own  glorious  body,  according  to  the  working 
whereby  He  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  unto  Himself.” 
(Phil.  3:20,  21.) 

Amen,  even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  GOSPEX*  HOPE 

NO  review  of  millennial  teaching  is  complete  without 
a  careful  study  of  the  gospel  hope.  It  is  confi¬ 
dently  stated  by  millennialists  that  if  Jesus  is  not  to 
return  to  Jerusalem  in  bodily  form,  “  and  build  again 
the  tabernacle  of  David  which  is  fallen  down,”  and 
assume  a  millennial  reign  over  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  Christians  have  no  hope.  The  Rev.  Len  Brough¬ 
ton,  D.D.,  says,  “  The  only  hope  of  the  redeemed  world 
is  the  return  of  our  Lord.”  ( The  Second  Coming  of 
Christ ,  p.  50.)  At  the  Keswick  Convention  held  in 
Birkenhead,  England,  September  10th  to  14th,  1917, 
Mr.  Horsefield  gave  a  Bible  Reading  based  on  Hosea 
6 :  3,  with  the  topic,  “  His  coming  as  certain  as  the 
dawn.”  The  reporter  says,  “  The  manifold  application 
of  this  wondrous  thought  brought  good  cheer  to  many 
hearts,  and  in  this  night  of  sorrow  many  saw  more 
clearly  that  the  coming  of  Christ  is  our  only  hope.” 
It  might  be  reasonable  to  ask  if  the  myriads  of  devout 
Christians  who  cannot  accept  the  millennial  theory  are 
without  a  Christian  hope  in  the  world?  Multitudes 
who  have  no  thought  of  Jesus  returning  as  a  world 
ruler,  have  a  hope  which  is  “  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul, 
both  sure  and  steadfast,  and  which  entereth  into  that 
within  the  veil ;  whither  the  forerunner  is  for  us  entered, 
even  Jesus,  made  an  high  priest  for  ever  after  the  order 
of  Melchisedec.”  (Heb.  6:19,  20.)  Is  this  a  false 
hope?  It  is  a  great  source  of  cheer  and  good  comfort 

in  this  night  of  sorrow,  because  they  are  not  looking 

295 


296  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


to  this  earth  for  their  consolation,  but  to  heaven  whither 
Jesus  has  entered  for  them.  Is  their  conscious  fellow¬ 
ship  with  their  exalted  and  glorified  Lord  a  delusion? 
If  our  only  hope  is  in  the  return  of  Jesus,  what  about 
the  multitudes  who  have  passed  on  without  seeing  the 
“  Son  of  Man  coming  in  His  glory,”  or  without  expect¬ 
ing  to  receive  an  earthly  kingdom?  Had  they  no  hope? 
Dr.  Broughton,  in  his  crisp  and  decisive  style,  thus  dis¬ 
poses  off-hand  with  this  question :  “  Heaven  is  not  yet. 

Heaven  is  at  the  culmination  of  time.  It  is  beyond  the 
kingdom.”  ( The  Second  Coming  of  Christ ,  p.  36.) 
That  is,  heaven  does  not  come  into  view  until  the  thou¬ 
sand  }^ears  of  Christ’s  millennial  reign  on  earth  are 
completed.  Then  whither  has  Jesus  gone?  Where  is 
He  waiting?  What  is  the  condition  of  the  sleeping 
saints?  Is  all  the  New  Testament  teaching  about 
heaven  erroneous? 

The  hope  of  Israel  was  not  purely  political.  All 
the  teaching  of  the  Hebrew  scriptures,  as  well  as  the 
services  of  the  sanctuary  emphasized  the  reality  and 
glory  of  a  moral  redemption  and  restitution  which  far 
transcends  the  excellency  and  splendor  of  all  national 
liberty  and  restoration.  The  Psalmist  sang: 

Therefore  my  heart  is  glad  and  my  glory  rejoiceth:  my 
flesh  also  shall  rest  in  hope.  For  thou  wilt  not  leave  my 
soul  in  Sheol,  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  holy  one  to  see 
corruption.  Thou  wilt  shew  me  the  path  of  life:  in  thy 
presence  is  fulness  of  joy  and  at  thy  right  hand  there  are 
pleasures  forevermore.  (Psa.  16:9,  R.  V.) 

The  apostles  after  Pentecost  emphasized  the  Messi¬ 
anic  teaching  of  these  Psalms,  and  focused  the  hope  of 
Israel  upon  the  expectation  of  the  resurrection  and 
eternal  glory.  When  defending  himself  before  King 


The  Gospel  Hope 


297 


Agrippa,  from  the  perverse  attacks  of  the  Jews,  Paul 
said,  44  And  now  I  stand  and  am  judged  for  the  hope  of 
the  promise  made  of  God  unto  our  Fathers.  Unto 
which  promise  our  twelve  tribes,  instantly  serving  God 
day  and  night  hope  to  come.  For  which  hope’s  sake, 
King  Agrippa,  I  am  accused  of  the  Jews.  Why  should 
it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with  you,  that  God 
should  raise  the  dead?  ”  (Acts  26:  6.) 

The  hope  of  the  fathers  which  Paul  here  presents 
with  such  consummate  skill  was  not  the  hope  of  the 
coming  Messiah,  because  Jesus  had  already  come  and 
been  glorified.  It  was  not  the  hope  of  a  something  that 
was  coming  to  them,  but  a  hope  unto  which  he,  like  his 
fathers,  was  coming.  The  closing  appeal  makes  it 
clear  that  this  hope  was  focused  upon  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead  and  future  glory.  In  another  place  Paul 
says,  44  For  our  conversation  (Gr.  citizenship)  is  in 
heaven ;  from  whence  also  we  look  for  the  Saviour,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ:  who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that 
it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  His  own  glorious  body, 
according  to  the  working  whereby  He  is  able  to  subdue 
all  things  unto  Himself.”  (Phil.  3:20,  21.)  It  was 
for  the  hope  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  (Acts 
23:6)  that  Paul  was  called  in  question.  He  claimed 
that  this  was  what  he  had  learned  as  a  son  of  a  Pharisee 
to  whose  teaching  he  had  always  been  loyal.  It  is 
therefore  clear  that  the  religious  hope  of  the  Jews  as 
represented  m  the  teaching  of  the  dominant  sect,  the 
Pharisees,  was  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  and  the 
glorified  life  which  was  to  follow.  The  teaching,  death, 
and  resurrection  of  Jesus  as  illuminated  by  the  Pente¬ 
costal  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  gave  greater  reality 
and  definiteness  to  this  hope.  Thereafter,  it  was  in¬ 
terpreted  in  the  light  of  these  great  historic  events  of 


298  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


the  Christ  life.  The  resurrection  which  came  to  occupy 
such  a  large  place  in  the  thought  and  hope  of  Paul  was 
not  of  some  special  class  or  sect,  but  of  all  the  dead. 
When  called  upon  to  meet  his  accusers  and  refute  the 
charges  of  the  orator,  Tertullus,  he  unhesitatingly  said, 
“  I  confess  that  after  the  way  which  they  call  heresy, 
so  worship  I  the  God  of  my  fathers,  believing  all  things 
which  are  written  in  the  law  and  the  prophets :  and  have 
hope  toward  God,  which  they  themselves  allow,  that 
there  shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the 
just  and  the  unjust.”  (Acts  24:14,  15.)  When  he 
finally  reached  Rome,  he  called  a  meeting  of  the  chief 
of  the  Jews  to  explain  why  he  was  a  prisoner  in  the 
imperial  city.  In  that  explanation  he  said,  “  For  this 
cause,  therefore,  have  I  called  for  you,  to  see  you,  and 
to  speak  with  you,  because  that  for  the  hope  of  Israel 
I  am  bound  with  this  chain.”  (Acts  28:  20.) 

Paul’s  interpretation  of  “  the  hope  of  Israel  ”  be¬ 
came  the  point  of  cleavage  among  the  Jews.  Those 
who  rejected  this  teaching  rejected  the  deity  and  Mes- 
siahship  of  Jesus  and  remained  out  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  established  by  the  gospel.  Those  who  accepted 
this  interpretation  became  Christians  by  repenting  of 
sin,  believing  in  Jesus  as  “  God  manifest  in  the  flesh  ” 
for  the.  salvation  of  men,  and  shared  the  fullness  of 
“  the  hope  of  Israel.”  This  still  remains  the  point  of 
cleavage  between  the  Jews  and  the  Christians. 

Through  the  atoning  sacrifice  and  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus  this  “  hope  of  Israel  ”  became  “  the  hope  of  the 
gospel.”  (Col.  1:25.)  In  the  first  chapter  of  Paul’s 
epistle  to  the  Colossians,  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles 
dwells  upon  this  hope  as  the  Christians’  great  incentive 
to  sacrifice,  suffering,  and  service  for  the  sake  of  Jesus 
and  the  salvation  of  men.  By  the  gospel  the  middle 


The  Gospel  Hope 


299 


wall  of  partition  between  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  was 
broken  down,  all  class  and  racial  distinctions  were  abol¬ 
ished,  and  all  men  w^ere  given  access  to  God  through 
the  faith  and  hope  of  Jesus.  The  Gentile  Christians 
were  made  feilowT-heirs  with  the  prophets  and  apostles 
to  the  inheritance  among  the  saints  in  light.  Paul 
urges  upon  these  Christians  steadfastness  of  character 
and  holiness  of  life  in  this  strong  appeal,  “  And  you 
that  were  sometime  alienated  and  enemies  in  your  minds 
by  wicked  works,  yet  now  hath  He  reconciled  in  the 
body  of  His  flesh  through  death,  to  present  you  holy 
and  unblameable,  and  unreprovable  in  His  sight:  if  ye 
continue  in  the  faith  grounded  and  settled  and  be  not 
moved  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel.”  (Col.  1: 
21,  23.)  The  least  that  can  be  said  of  this  “  hope  of 
the  gospel  ”  is  that  it  is  a  hope  for  all  the  gospel 
promises  for  life  and  glory.  While  the  apostles  men¬ 
tion  particular  objects  of  that  hope,  these  are  insep¬ 
arably  associated  with  the  whole  glorified  life,  and  the 
part  cannot  be  enjoyed  without  obtaining  the  whole. 
It  involves  all  the  possible  attainments  of  divine  grace, 
the  excellencies  of  Christian  character,  and  eternal 
felicity  in  the  triumphant  kingdom  of  heaven.  All  the 
realities  of  “  the  hope  of  the  gospel  ”  are  assured  to  us 
by  personal  unity  and  harmony  with  the  indwelling 
Christ.  “  Even  the  mystery  which  hath  been  hid  from 
ages  and  from  generations,  but  now  is  made  manifest 
to  His  saints :  to  whom  God  would  make  known  what  is 
the  riches  of  this  glory  among  the  Gentiles;  which  is 
Christ  in  you  the  hope  of  glory.”  (Col.  1:26,  27.) 
Therefore,  the  reality  of  this  hope  is  not  a  matter  of 
speculation,  a  question  of  theory,  or  a  statement  of 
theological  dogma,  but  of  actual  personal  experience 
with  every  one  who  is  living  by  faith  in  “  the  Lord  Jesus 


300 


The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


Christ,  who  is  our  hope.”  (1  Tim.  1:1.)  Without 
Jesus  the  world  would  be  hopeless.  The  assurance 
of  being  saved  can  come  to  mankind  only  by  His  gos¬ 
pel.  “For  we  are  saved  by  hope.”  (Rom.  8:24.) 
The  salvation  here  held  in  view  is  not  the  initial  pardon 
and  adoption  by  the  Spirit,  but  the  final  44  adoption,  to 
wit,  the  redemption  of  our  body.”  Therefore,  the  hope 
by  which  we  are  saved  is  the  confident  expectation  that 
through  the  resurrection  of  Christ  we  shall  be  raised 
to  glory  and  eternal  life.  Thus  the  hope  of  ultimate 
and  triumphant  salvation  keeps  the  confidence  of  the 
Christian  centred  upon  the  risen  and  glorified  Jesus 
for  complete  victory  over  44  the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
the  devil,”  for  time  and  eternity.  44  By  4  the  hope 
of  the  gospel  ’  we  are  supported,  and  are  comfortable 
in  the  expectation  we  have  of  receiving  from  the  hand 
of  God  all  the  good  we  need  in  the  troubles  and  adversi¬ 
ties  of  life,  and  of  having  our  bodies  raised  from  cor¬ 
ruption  and  death  at  the  general  resurrection.”  (Dr. 
A.  Clark’s  Commentary .)  Rooted  and  grounded  in 
this  hope  the  Christian  is  kept,  44  steadfast,  unmovable, 
always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.”  (1  Cor. 
15:  58.)  The  writer  to  the  Hebrews  urged  the  impor¬ 
tance  and  necessity  of  the  full  labor  of  love  and  serv¬ 
ice,  that  is  not  forgotten  of  the  righteous  God,  and  ex¬ 
pressed  the  earnest  wish  44  that  every  one  of  you  do 
show  the  same  diligence  to  the  full  assurance  of  hope 
unto  the  end:  that  ye  be  not  slothful  but  followers  of 
them  who  through  faith  inherit  the  promises.”  (Heb. 
6:10—12.)  In  another  expressive  passage  upon  44  the 
new  and  living  way  ”  which  Jesus  our  great  High 
Priest  hath  opened  unto  us,  the  writer  says,  44  And  hav¬ 
ing  a  high  priest  over  the  house  of  God;  let  us  draw 
near  with  a  true  heart  in  full  assurance  of  faith.” 


The  Gospel  Hope 


301 


(Heb.  10:22.)  John  Wesley  makes  this  lucid  and 
profound  comment  upon  the  relation  of  “  the  full  assur¬ 
ance  of  faith,”  and  44  the  full  assurance  of  hope  ” : 

44  The  full  assurance  of  faith  relates  to  present  pardon, 
the  full  assurance  of  hope  to  future  glory.  The  former 
is  the  highest  divine  evidence  that  God  is  reconciled  to 
me  in  the  Son  of  His  love ;  the  latter  is  the  same  divine 
evidence  wrought  in  the  soul  by  the  spirit  of  perse¬ 
vering  grace,  and  of  eternal  glory.  So  much  and  no 
more  as  faith  every  moment  beholds  with  open  face ,  so 
much  does  hope  see  to  all  eternity.  But  this  assurance 
is  not  an  opinion,  not  a  bare  construction  of  scripture, 
but  is  given  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  what  none  can 
have  for  another,  but  for  himself  only.”  (Wesley’s 
Notes  on  the  N.  T.) 

This  full  assurance  of  faith  and  hope  is  founded  upon 
the  immutable  promises  of  God.  The  writer  leads  up 
to  this  wonderful  climax  emphasizing  the  perfect  secu¬ 
rity  of  the  person  whose  44  sure  and  steadfast  ”  anchor, 
hope,  44  after  patient  endurance  receives  the  promised 
inheritance  of  God  in  the  eternal  haven  of  rest  in  the 
glory  land.”  He  says,  44  Wherein  God,  willing  more 
abundantly  to  show  unto  the  heirs  of  promise  the  im¬ 
mutability  of  his  counsel,  confirmed  with  an  oath ;  that 
by  two  immutable  things  in  which  it  was  impossible  for 
God  to  lie,  we  might  have  a  strong  consolation,  who 
have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before 
us :  which  hope  we  have  as  an  anchor  sure  and  stead¬ 
fast,  and  which  entereth  into  that  within  the  veil: 
whither  the  forerunner  is  for  us  entered,  even  Jesus, 
made  a  high  priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Melchise- 
dec.”  (Heb.  6:18-20.) 

It  is  certain  that  this  hope  is  not  for  the  return  of 
Jesus  to  earth  to  set  up  a  kingdom.  The  inspired 


302  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


writer  has  before  him  the  exalted  and  glorified  Jesus, 
not  as  an  earthly  king,  but  as  a  spiritual  and  heavenly 
high  priest.  The  scene  of  His  activities  is  in  heaven 
whither  He  has  entered  for  us,  that  He  might  bring  us 
to  God,  and  give  us  a  place  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
throne  in  heaven. 

John,  the  beloved  disciple,  had  this  full  assurance  of 
hope  before  him,  in  all  its  saving  and  purifying  power, 
when  he  wrote,  44  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God, 
and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be:  but  we 
know  that  when  He  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  Him; 
for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.  And  every  one  that  hath 
this  hope  in  him  purifieth  himself  even  as  he  is  pure.” 
(1  John  3:2—3.)  It  is  the  hope  of  being  with  Jesus, 
seeing  Him  as  He  is,  and  sharing  with  Him  the  glory 
of  the  Father,  that  transforms  the  life  and  makes 
us  like  Him  in  character  and  spirit.  It  was  for  this 
that  Jesus  prayed  on  our  behalf.  44 1  pray  for  them 
.  .  .  for  they  are  thine.”  44  That  they  all  may  be  one ; 
as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us :  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  I 
have  given  them:  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are 
one.”  (John  17 :  9,  22 ,  23.)  Jesus  is  therefore  called 
our  hope ,  as  He  is  called  our  righteousness ,  our  peace , 
and  our  lif e,  because  He  has  brought  to  us  righteous¬ 
ness,  peace,  hope,  life,  and  from  these  all  other  blessings 
proceed. 

The  full  object  and  consummation  of  our  hope  is  not 
a  millennial  kingdom  on  earth,  but  the  triumphant 
kingdom  in  heaven.  Paul’s  thanksgiving  for  the  faith 
and  devotion  of  the  Colossian  Christians  is,  44  We  give 
thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 


The  Gospel  Hope 


SOS 


praying  always  for  you,  since  we  heard  of  your  faith 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  the  love  which  ye  have  to  all  the 
saints ;  for  the  hope  which  is  laid  up  for  you  in  heaven.” 
(Col.  1:  5.)  Here,  then,  the  object  of  hope  is  heaven, 
and  all  that  heaven  connotes  to  the  devout,  praying 
Christian.  Peter  grips  this  fact  and  elaborates  it  in 
such  a  manner  that  there  is  no  mistaking  his  meaning. 
He  writes,  44  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  which  according  to  His  abundant  mercy 
hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope  by  the  resur¬ 
rection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead  to  an  inheritance 
incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  re¬ 
served  in  heaven  for  us  who  are  kept  by  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last 
time.”  (1  Pet.  1:3-5.) 

This  passage  is  worthy  careful  analysis.  By  44  be¬ 
gotten  us  again  unto  a  lively,  or  living  hope,”  Peter 
evidently  had  in  view  the  experience  of  himself  and 
fellow  disciples  at  the  crucifixion  and  burial  of  Jesus. 
Their  hope  of  the  restoration  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
under  the  Messiah  was  crucified  and  buried  with  Jesus 
in  Joseph’s  tomb.  But  when  these  disciples  saw  their 
Lord  alive  after  the  resurrection,  their  hope  was  begot¬ 
ten  again,  and  so  enlarged  and  clarified  that  they  got  a 
new  vision  of  Jesus  and  His  redemptive  glory.  When 
they  saw  Him  ascend  into  heaven  their  affection  and 
hope  were  lifted  from  earth  to  the  glories  at  the  right 
hand  of  God.  It  was  similar  to  the  transferred  inter¬ 
est  of  the  parents  whose  beloved  child  is  promoted  to 
glory.  Heaven  has  a  new  fascination.  The  exaltation 
of  Jesus  begat  again  in  those  disciples  a  living,  trans¬ 
forming,  and  inspiring  hope  44  to  an  inheritance  incor¬ 
ruptible  and  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not  away ,  re- 


30 4  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


served  in  heaven  for  us  who  are  kept  by  the  power  of 
faith  unto  salvation,  ready  to  be  revealed  at  the  last 
time.” 

This  rebirth  of  the  dead  hope  was  also  a  rebirth  to  a 
higher  spiritual  life.  Only  those  can  inherit  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  and  enter  upon  eternal  life  who  are  born 
from  above  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  (John  3:3.)  It  may 
then  be  confidently  accepted  that  Peter  was  here  basing 
the  living  hope  upon  the  regeneration  of  the  soul,  which 
is  made  sure  by  the  resurrection  power  of  Jesus,  by 
which  also  we  are  assured  of  a  glorious  resurrection 
from  the  dead  to  enter  with  Jesus  into  the  heavenly 
home  with  the  Father  God. 

Surely  this  brings  heaven  nearer  to  us  than  Dr. 
Broughton  would  have  us  think.  Even  he  does  not 
know  when  his  millennial  kingdom  will  begin ;  it  may  be 
thousands  of  years  in  the  future.  If  heaven  is  not 
until  the  end  of  the  millennial  kingdom  his  hope  can 
have  no  immediate  realization.  Would  not  this  be  a 
case  in  which  “  hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick  ”  ? 
But  “  the  living  hope  ”  of  Peter  has  immediate  realiza¬ 
tion  by  faith  of  the  inheritance  already  reserved  in 
heaven  for  all  who  are  “  kept  by  the  power  of  God 
through  faith.” 

Paul  also  looks  upon  the  hope  of  the  gospel  as  bring¬ 
ing  the  Christian  into  virtual  possession  of  the  inherit¬ 
ance  to  be  fully  enjoyed  in  heaven  with  Christ  our 
Lord.  To  him  the  departure  from  this  life  is  to  be 
with  Christ.  (Phil.  1:23;  2  Cor.  5:1-4.)  Therefore 
he  explains  the  hope  of  the  gospel  to  the  Thessalonian- 
Church,  that  they  might  not  sorrow  over  those  who  fall 
asleep,  “  even  as  others  which  have  no  hope.”  ( 1 
Thess.  4: 13.)  He  says,  “  Now  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  and  God,  even  the  Father,  which  hath  loved 


The  Gospel  Hope 


305 


us,  and  hath  given  us  everlasting  consolation  and  good 
hope  through  grace,  comfort  your  hearts  and  stablish 
you  in  every  good  word  and  work.”  (2  Thess.  16, 
17.)  In  both  these  passages  the  hope  is  based  upon 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  the  glorification  of 
the  faithful  throughout  eternity.  They  already  en¬ 
joyed  pardon  and  peace  with  God,  but  the  resurrection 
and  eternal  glory  were  necessarily  future.  These  they 
had  in  anticipation  and  therefore  through  grace  they 
had  already  received  a  good  hope  of  heaven,  a  well 
grounded  expectation  that  through  Jesus  they  would 
enter  into  this  glorious  state. 

In  the  epistle  to  Titus,  hope  is  made  prominent ;  not 
the  hope  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  but  44  the  hope  of  eter¬ 
nal  life.”  (Tit.  1:3  and  3:7.)  Paul  gives  as  the 
supreme  motive  of  his  apostleship  and  his  aim  as  a 
servant  of  God  the  promotion  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth  which  is  after  godliness,  that  all  should  be  made 
heirs  of  God  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life 
66  promised  in  Christ  before  the  world  began  ”  (or  the 
beginning  of  the  age).  Jesus  set  forth  the  promise 
and  purpose  of  the  gospel  as  the  giving  of  eternal  life 
to  every  one  that  believeth.  (John  3:15,  16»  35.) 
Dr.  Adam  Clark’s  note  on  66  the  hope  of  eternal  life  ”  is, 
<4  In  expectation  of  a  state  of  being  and  wellbeing  which 
should  last  through  eternity,  when  time  shall  be  no 
more.  This  includes  not  only  the  salvation  of  the  soul 
and  its  eternal  beatification,  but  also  the  resurrection 
of  the  body.  This  was  the  point  but  ill  understood 
and  not  clearly  revealed  under  the  Mosaic  law;  but  it 
was  fully  revealed  under  the  gospel  and  the  doctrine 
illustrated  by  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  (Dr.  A. 
Clark’s  Commentary ,  Titus  1:3.) 

The  object  of  the  regenerating  power,  and  justifying 


306  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


grace  of  the  love  and  mercy  of  God  is  to  enable  man 
to  realize  this  “  hope  of  eternal  life.”  (Titus  3:  4—7.) 
This  Paul  calls  a  “  blessed  hope.”  He  says,  “  Look¬ 
ing  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing 
of  the  Great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.”  (Tit. 
2:13.)  This  is  a  favorite  passage  of  millennialists. 
They  entwine  much  sentiment  around  this  “  blessed 
hope,”  and  designate  it  as  “  the  pole  star  of  the 
church.”  And  yet  it  is  doubtful  if  Paul  intended  any 
reference  to  the  actual  coming  again  of  Jesus,  second  or 
otherwise.  At  all  events,  there  is  no  mention  here  nor  in 
this  whole  epistle  of  the  parousia ,  or  personal  presence 
of  Jesus.  It  is  not  really  “  the  glorious  appearance  of 
the  Great  God,”  but  as  the  Revised  Version  renders  it, 
“  the  appearing  of  the  glory.”  There  is  also  a  question 
as  to  whether  it  is  this  “  appearing  ”  that  is  the  “  blessed 
hope.”  The  passage  reads,  “  Looking  for  the  blessed 
hope  and  appearing  of  the  glory.”  The  construction 
implies  that  they  are  two  distinct  things,  or  parts  of 
the  Christian’s  experience.  In  the  other  references  of 
this  epistle  it  is  “  the  hope  of  eternal  life.”  Dr.  Adam 
Clark’s  comment  is,  “  Some  think  the  blessed  hope  and 
glorious  appearing  are  the  same  thing;  but  I  do  not 
think  so.  The  blessed  hope  refers  simply  to  eternal 
glorification  in  general,  the  glorious  appearing  to  the 
resurrection  of  the  body:  for  when  Christ  appears  He 
will  change  this  vile  body  and  make  it  like  unto  His  own 
glorious  body,  according  to  the  working  whereby  He  is 
able  to  subdue  all  things  to  Himself.”  (Phil.  3:20, 
21.)  There  is  certainly  nothing  in  this  passage  to  jus¬ 
tify  the  millennial  assumptions.  The  epistle  must  be 
Interpreted  consistently  with  itself.  As  Paul  prefaced 
it  with  a  declaration  of  the  “  hope  of  eternal  life,” 
“  according  to  the  faith  of  God’s  elect  and  the  acknowl- 


The  Gospel  Hope 


307 


edging  of  the  truth  which  is  after  godliness,”  and  con¬ 
cluded  with  the  assurance  of  the  greatness  of  this  hope 
according  to  the  saving  mercy  of  God,  44  shed  on  us 
abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour  ”  (Titus 
1 :  1—3  and  3 :  4—7),  we  cannot  do  other  than  accept  this 
gift  of  eternal  life  as  44  the  blessed  hope  ”  and  44  the  pole 
star  of  the  church.” 

The  44  hope  of  eternal  life  ”  gives  an  eternal  interest 
and  citizenship  in  heaven,  whither  Jesus  our  forerunner 
and  great  High  Priest  hath  entered  (Heb.  6:20)  to 
prepare  a  place  for  us,  that  He  44  might  come  again  and 
receive  us  unto  Himself ;  that  where  He  is,  there  we  may 
be  also.”  (John  14:2,  3.)  Whether  He  comes  to  re¬ 
ceive  us  through  the  portals  of  death,  or  translates  us 
as  God  did  Enoch  and  Elijah,  is  not  of  great  conse¬ 
quence.  The  supreme  question  is,  will  we  be  prepared 
to  meet  Him  with  joy  and  enter  with  Him  to  the  great 
marriage  feast,  as  were  the  wise  virgins?  Or  will  we 
neglect  the  all  important  oil  in  the  vessels  with  our 
lamps  and  be  eternally  shut  out  of  the  heavenly  king¬ 
dom?  It  is  the  danger  of  this  awful  fatality  that  called 
forth  the  insistent  exhortations  from  Jesus  and  the 
apostles  to  diligence  and  prayerful  watching  for  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.  It  is  evident  the  apostles  expected 
Jesus  to  come  again  in  like  manner  as  they  saw  Him  go 
into  heaven.  (Acts  1:11.)  This  coming,  however,  is 
to  judge  the  world.  Then,  they  that  believe  not  the 
gospel  and  obey  not  the  truth  will  be  cut  off,  but  the 
saints  will  be  rewarded  for  their  faithfulness,  44  with  the 
crown  of  life  that  fadeth  not  away.”  Therefore,  to 
them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  the  coming  or  day  of 
the  Lord  will  be  a  jubilee  of  rejoicing  and  great  glori¬ 
fication.  44  The  Lord  is  coming  to  judge  the  world; 
every  hour  that  passes  on  in  the  lapse  of  time  is  ad- 


308  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


vancing  that  approach;  whatsoever  He  does  is  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  that  event ;  and  whatsoever  we  do  should  be  in 
reference  to  the  same.  But  who  in  that  great  day  shall 
give  up  his  accounts  with  joy?  The  person  only  whose 
heart  is  established  in  holiness  before  God,  that  is,  so 
as  to  bear  the  eye  and  strict  scrutiny  of  his  Judge.” 
(Dr.  A.  Clark,  1  Cor.  4:  5.)  Therefore,  44  judge  noth¬ 
ing  before  the  time,  until  the  Lord  come,  who  both  will 
bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness,  and  will 
make  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  hearts:  and  then 
shall  every  man  have  praise  of  God.” 

The  confident  expectation  of  the  divine  approval  at 
that  day,  which  is  even  now  attested  to  the  true  dis¬ 
ciple  of  Jesus  by  the  full  assurance  of  faith  and  hope, 
inspires  the  soul  with  a  devotion  and  praise  born  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Even  the  trial  of  faith,  through  tempta¬ 
tion  and  sorrow,  which  is  more  precious  than  of  gold 
that  perisheth,  prepares  the  faithful  for  that  day,  that 
they  46  might  be  found  unto  praise  and  honor  and  glory 
at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  having  not 
seen  they  love;  in  whom,  though  now  they  see  Him  not 
yet  believing  they  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory :  receiving  the  end  of  their  faith,  even  the 
salvation  of  their  souls.”  (1  Pet.  1 :  7—9.) 

This  great  consummation  so  filled  with  44  praise,  and 
honor  and  glory,”  is  the  time  when  44  The  Son  of  Man 
will  come  in  His  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  Him 
and  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  His  glory;  and  before 
Him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations :  and  He  shall  separate 
them  one  from  another  as  the  shepherd  divideth  his 
sheep  from  the  goats :  and  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  the 
right  hand,  and  the  goats  on  the  left.  Then  shall  the 
King  say  to  them  on  His  right  hand,  4  Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 


The  Gospel  Hope 


309 


from  the  foundation  of  the  world.’  ”  (Matt.  25 :  31— 
33.) 

There  will  be  no  slips  in  that  judgment.  Every  per¬ 
son  will  receive  a  just  recompense  of  reward,  for  “  God 
shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  according  to  the  gospel.” 
(Rom.  2: 1-16.)  Hence  Paul’s  fervent  prayer:  “  The 
very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly;  and  I  pray 
God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved 
blameless,  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Faithful  is  he  that  calleth  you  who  also  will  do  it.” 
(1  Thess.  5 :  23.) 

Throughout  the  scriptures  the  highest  hope  held  out 
to  man  is  a  perfect  salvation  from  sin,  a  full  restoration 
to  the  likeness  and  fellowship  of  God  through  the  sancti¬ 
fication  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  eternal  joy  and  felicity 
in  heaven  with  Christ  our  Saviour  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  throne  of  glory.  This  transcendent  rapture  of 
heaven  is  described  under  manifold  figures,  and  in  the 
most  glowing  poetical  and  apocalyptical  imagery  of 
which  our  language  is  capable.  The  more  we  study 
these  exalted  pictures,  and  the  exceeding  great  and 
precious  promises  of  the  glories  of  heaven  to  all  who  be¬ 
lieve  the  gospel,  the  more  deeply  we  are  impressed  with 
the  conviction  that  6i  Eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heaid, 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him.  (1 

Cor.  2:9.) 

By  the  power  of  saving  grace  we  are  privileged 
to  enjoy  in  our  souls  such  a  satisfying  foretaste  of 
the  peace,  joy,  and  glory  of  the  heavenly  life  and  fel¬ 
lowship  that  we  are  drawn  by  the  everlasting  love  of 
God  to  consecrate  our  all  to  the  service  and  praise  of 
our  adorable  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  this  heavenly  experience  that  cheers  and  sus- 


310  The  Kingdom  and  Coming  of  Christ 


tains  the  trusting  saints  through  the  gloom  of  the 
temptations,  conflicts,  and  sorrows  of  this  world. 
They  know  that  64  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for 
a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory ;  while  we  look  not  at  the  things 
which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen : 
for  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal;  but  the 
things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal.”  (2  Cor.  4:18.) 

This  faith  and  hope  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  greatest  possible  incentive  to  holiness.  It  inspires 
the  strongest  courage  in  the  face  of  danger.  It  sus¬ 
tains  loyalty  in  the  performance  of  duty.  It  fans  the 
embers  of  holy  love  and  devotion  into  a  consuming  flame 
of  evangelistic  zeal,  so  that  with  wonderful  cheerfulness 
God’s  ambassadors  carry  the  Glad  Tidings  44  even  unto 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.” 


INDEX 


Texts 

Pages 

Clan  19.  -3  . . 

.  144 

Gen.  12:3;  17:4,  5;  18:18..  203 

Gen.  18:18;  22:18;  26 

i:4....  144 

Gen.  49:1  . 

Exod. 

14:19,  20;  24:15-18..  241 

Exod. 

32:32,  33  . 

.  194 

Exod. 

33:44  . 

.  76 

Lev.  16:23,  24  . 

Deu.  30:15-20  . 

.  228 

1  Sam. 

8:6,  7  . 

.  37 

9  Sam  7 '12  16 

.  21 

2  Sam.  22:8—12  . 

.  217 

1  Kings  2 :2-4  . 

.  26 

1  Kings  8:25  . 

.  22 

1  Chron.  22:7-13  .  .  . . 

Psalm 

16:9  - - - 

. . 296 

Psalm 

18:7-14  . 

Psalm 

18:10-12  _ 

. 241 

Psalm 

56:8;  139:10  . 

.  194 

Psalm 

68:8;  97:4,  5  . 

.  232 

Psalm 

72:8  . 

.  69 

Psalm 

90:4  . 

Psalm 

98:1  5  ....... 

.  218 

Psalm 

132:11  . 

Isaiah 

1:19,  20  . 

Isaiah 

2:2  . 

.  1 

Isaiah 

9:2,  6  . 

. 42,  186 

Isaiah 

Ch.  11  . 

_ 100-110 

Isaiah 

Ch.  35  . 

_ 110-113 

Isaiah 

12:2,  3;  51:1 

. 259 

Isaiah 

13:6-10  . 

Isaiah 

19:1  _ .,..233,235,241 

Isaiah 

42:6;  49:6  . . 

. .  146 

Isaiah 

58:1  . 

.......  242 

Isaiah 

60:1-5  . 

.  146 

Isaiah 

61:1,  2  . 

.Ter.  4 

:26  . 

.  233 

Jer.  31:32,  34;  32:40-42 -  97 

Ezek.  Chs.  18  and  33  .  27 

Ezek.  18:2,  19,  20  .  158 

Ezek.  32:7,  8  .  235 

Dan.  Chs.  2,  7  and  8  .  .  .  .113—131 
Dan.  8:13,  14  . 53 


.  235 

Dan.  9:27;  11:31; 
Hosea  13:9;  4:17 
Hosea  11:1  ...... 

Toel  9*16  17 

12:11. ...  227 

.  27 

. .32,  33 

.  114 

Teel  2  -28  32 

.  236 

. .  164 

TToH  9*14  .  .  .  . 

.  132 

7.anb  19-11  12  .  . 

.  240 

ZJCl/Ua  ■  A  A,  •  • 

14-4  5 

. .  .  80 

Mai  3-16  .  .  . 

. .  194 

Matt.  1:21  . 

Moft  1-9.3  . 

. 141,  174 

.  42 

Texts 

Pages 

Matt. 

3:2;  4:17; 

6:33  .  11 

Matt. 

3:2,  4,  17 

.  247 

Matt. 

3:11  13  . 

. 242,  277 

Matt. 

4:9-10  .. 

Matt. 

5:13-14  . 

.  139 

Matt. 

5:17  .... 

. 98,  132 

Matt. 

6:33  .... 

.  135 

Matt. 

7:13-23  . 

.  280 

Matt. 

9:13  . . . . 

.  92 

Matt. 

10:16  ... 

.  108 

Matt. 

10:28  ... 

.  68 

Matt. 

11:12  ... 

.  242 

Matt. 

12:26  ... 

Matt. 

13:24-30, 

38  .  134 

Matt. 

13 : 3 1-32 

.  132 

Matt. 

13 : 40-43 

.  190 

Matt. 

13:49  ... 

.  208 

Matt. 

13:40-50 

.  283 

Matt. 

16:6-12 

.  132 

Matt. 

16:27,  28 

. 244,  294 

Matt. 

21:33-43 

.  289 

Matt. 

22:16-21; 

17:24-27...  30 

Matt. 

23:26  ... 

.  244 

Matt. 

23:34-39 

. 29,  219 

Matt. 

24:5,  24, 

31  . 4,241 

Matt. 

24:1  51  . 

. 220-284 

Matt. 

25:1  46  . 

. 53-281 

Matt. 

25:10-12, 

30,  30... 284,  287 

Matt. 

25:31-33 

Matt. 

26:32  ... 

Matt. 

28:18  . . . 

Matt. 

28:19,  20 

. 76,  87,  92 

1:2  . 

.  242 

M&rlc 

9-1  . 

. . . 244 

Mark 

13:26  .  .  . 

Mark 

16:15  .. 

. 138,  226 

Luke 

1:32,  33  . 

. 20,  37,  38 

Luke 

1:79  .... 

.  186 

Luke 

1:68  73  . 

Lllll6 

2:1  . 

.  224 

Luke 

2:28  32  . 

. * .  147 

Luke 

4:18  21  . 

Luke 

7:24,  27  . 

Luke 

9:27  .  .  . . 

.  244 

Luke 

9:51,  52 

.  242 

Luke 

10:9-11  . 

.  248 

xjuke 

11:21-22 

Luke 

12:14  ... 

Luke 

13:24-30 

. 17,  284 

Luke 

16:10  ... 

Luke 

16:16  . .  . 

Luke 

16:19-31 

.  290 

Luke 

17:20,  21 

. .  .  .13,  270 

Luke 

19:10  ... 

. .  92 

Luke 

19:12-27 

Luke 

19:37-44 

. 28,  234 

Luke 

21:24  .  .  . 

812 


Index 


Texts  Pages 

Luke  21:24—27  .  5 

Luke  23:34  .  158 

Luke  24:21  .  5 

Luke  24:44-53  . 5,137,310 

John  1:1  .  75 

John  1:11_ .  72 

John  3:3  . 4,135,304 

John  3:13  .  214 

John  3:16,  18  .  158 

John  4:13;  14  .  259 

John  4:22  .  156 

John  5:24-29  . 197,184 

John  5:28-29  . 188,288 

John  6:26,  27,  60,  66 . 82,83 

John  6:39,  40  .  178 

John  6:39-45  .  196 

John  10:15-18  .  74 

John  12:20,  21  .  101 

John  12:32,  31  . 65,264 

John  13:33-36  . 105,210 

John  14:23  . 214,307 

John  14:12  .  83 

John  14:16,  18  . 76,  211 

John  14:18,  21,  23,  28  .  211 

John  14:30  .  65 

John  15:4,  5  . 76,212 

John  16:7  . 211,274 

John  16:7-15  .  85 

John  16:12,  13  .  213 

John  16:16,  20  . 3,  18,  210 

John  16:33  . 65,75 

John  17:1-4  . 74 

John  17:1,  5,  22  .  96 

John  17:21-23  .  105 

John  17:9,  22,  23  .  302 

John  18  :36  . 4 

John  19:10,  11  .  74 

Acts  1:3  . 201 

Acts  1:4;  2:1-21  .  236 

Acts  1:5-8  . 6,18,285 

Acts  1:11  . 273,307 

Acts  1:14;  2:1  .  104 

Acts  2:1-4  .  13 

Acts  2:9,  11  . 103,225 

Acts  2:22-24  .  73 

Acts  2  :29— 36  . . 35,  108 

Acts  2:42-47  .  105 

Acts  3:21,  22  .  204 

Acts  3:22-25  144 

Acts  4:10,  11  .  289 

Acts  4:32  .  105 

Acts  5:31  .  38 

Acts  5:36,  37  .  221 

Acts  7:54-60  . 68,216 

Acts  8:1-4,  29-39 .  225 

Acts  9:8  .  137 

Acts  10:34,  35  . 148,153,244 

Acts  10:42  .  279 

Acts  11:3,  17,  18  .  148 

Acts  11:28  .  222 

Acts  13:1-3  .  149 

Acts  13:27  . 4,175 

Acts  13:46,  47  . 147,157 

Acts  14:15-18  . .  153 

Acts  15:6-12  ......  . .  149 

Acts  15 :9— 22  . 153,  164 


Texts  Pages 

Acts  16:13 . 156 

Acts  17:16-31  .  153 

Acts  17:30,  31  . 154,174,278 

Acts  21:20  .  156 

Acts  23:6  .  297 

Acts  24:14,  15  .  298 

Acts  26:6  .  297 

Acts  26:15-18  . .  149 

Acts  28:20  . .  .  .  298 

Acts  28:23-28  .  147 

Rom.  1:16  . 157,159 

Rom.  2:1—16  . 309 

Rom.  2:3-11  .  162 

Rom.  3:2,  13-17 . 143,145 

Rom.  3:21,  23  .  154 

Rom.  4:  and  Gal.  3  .  203 

Rom.  4:3,  13,  17  .  151 

Rom.  5:7;  6:11-23  .  263 

Rom.  6:11-17  .  86 

Rom.  8:33-39  .  66 

Rom.  10:11-13  . 154,166 

Rom.  10:18  .  226' 

Rom.  11:  .  158 

Rom.  11 :5  . .  131 

Rom.  11:19,  23  .  161 

Rom.  11:25,  27  . 163,  171 

Rom.  11:29,  33  . 174,277 

Rom.  13:12  .  248 

Rom.  14:14  .  262 

Rom.  14:17  . 12,135 

Rom.  16:25,  26  .  202 

1  Cor.  2:6-8  . 15,  175 

1  Cor.  2:9-16  . 86,  309 

1  Cor.  4:5. .  308 

1  Cor.  5:6-8  .  133 

1  Cor.  6:9,  10  .  263 

1  Cor.  10:11  .  207 

1  Cor.  11:26  .  269 

1  Cor.  15:13,  14,  17  .  178 

1  Cor.  15:22-24  .  182 

1  Cor.  15:44  .  43 

1  Cor.  15:50  .  265 

1  Cor.  15:53,  54  .  197 

1  Cor.  15:55-58  . 68,300 

2  Cor.  4:18  .  310 

2  Cor.  5:1,  10  . 192,215 

2  Cor.  5:1—4  .  304 

2  Cor.  5:10  .  269 

2  Cor.  12:7  .  242 

Gal.  2:7,  13  . 7,  152 

Gal.  3:6,  8,  9,  14,  16  .  145 

Gal.  3:13-18  . 152 

Gal.  3:27-29  .  155 

Gal.  3:28  . 262 

Gal.  4:4,  5  - - 143,  174,  203 

Gal.  5:21  .  263 

Eph.  1:10  . 174,205 

Eph.  1:15-23  . 39,215,275 

Eph.  1:19;  3:7,  20  . 87 

Eph.  2:1;  5:14  . . 186 

Eph.  2:11-17  .  154 

Eph.  2:19-22  . 14,160 

Eph.  2:11-22  .  262 

Eph.  2:17  .  205 

Eph.  3:15  .  131 

Eph.  6:10,  11  .  87 


Index 


313 


Texts  Pages 

Thil.  1:21-24  . 268,304 

Phil.  3:20-21  ......294,297,306 

Phil.  4:5  .  269 

Col.  1:5  .  303 

Col.  1:3-6,  23  . 226,298 

Col.  1:11,  29  .  87 

Col.  1:12,  13  .  263 

Col.  1:21,  23,  26,  27 _ 202,299 

Col.  2:12,  13;  3:1  .  186 

Col.  3:8-11  .  155 

Col.  3:15  .  87 

1  Thess.  1:9,  10;  4:15  .  266 

1  Thess.  2:15,  16  .  265 

1  Thess.  4:13  .  . .  304 

1  Thess.  4:13-18  .  180 

1  Thess.  4:15  .  278 

1  Thess.  5:23  .  309 

2  Thess.  1:3-10  .  279 

2  Thess.  2:3—4  .  267 

2  Thess.  2:16,  17  .  305 

1  Tim.  1:1  .  300 

1  Tim.  1:12;  4:8  .  196 

1  Tim.  1:17  .  42 

1  Tim.  6:15  .  76 

2  Tim.  1:9-11  .  200 

2  Tim.  2:15  .  93 

2  Tim.  3:13  .  16 

2  Tim.  4:1,  8  .  278 

Titus  1:1-3  .  201 

Titus  1:3;  3:7  .  305 

Titus  2:12  .  42 

Titus  2:13;  3:4-7  .  306 

Heb.  1:1,  2  .  114 

Heb.  2:9  . 206,293 

Heb.  4:11-13  .  277 

Heb.  6:10-12  3*30 

Heb.  6:18-20  . 295,301,307 

Heb.  7:25  292 

Heb.  8:10-12  .  132 

Heb.  9:  Comp.  Ex.  24:3—8...  150 

Heb.  9:10  .  207 

Heb.  9:13,  14  . 291 

Heb.  9:26-28  . 206,290 

Heb.  10:22  301 

Heb.  10:25  .  248 


Texts  Pages 

Heb.  10:26  .  291 

Heb.  10:35-37  .  290 

James  2:25  .  242 

James  5:1—9  . 248,270 

1  Pet.  1:3-5  . 68,303 

1  Pet.  1:7-9  .  308 

1  Pet.  1:24  .  73 

1  Pet.  2:9  .  187 

1  Pet.  4:7  .  248 

1  Pet.  4:17,  18  270 

1  Pet.  5:13  .  225 

2  Pet.  1:15,  16  .  271 

2  Pet.  2:1-6  .  271 

2  Pet.  3:8  .  264 

2  Pet.  3:1,  2,  11,  16,  17.. 273,  279 

2  Pet.  3:3,  4,  9,  10  . 54,  270 

2  Pet.  3:10-13  . 44,272 

2  Pet.  3:15,  16  .  268 

1  John  2:18  .  221 

1  John  3:2,  3  .  302 

1  John  3:8;  4:4;  5:4,  5,  18..  65 

1  John  3:14  .  186 

1  John  5:19  .  16 

Jude,  14,  15  .  279 

Rev.  1:1,  2  . 246,259 

Rev.  1:3  247 

Rev.  1:5,  6  .  187 

Rev.  1:7,  11  .  249 

Rev.  1:9  . 256 

Rev.  2:7,  11,  17,  26 .  66 

Rev.  3:5,  12,  21  .  67 

Rev.  3:5  195 

Rev.  6:9,  10  .  251 

Rev.  6:12-15  .  252 

Rev.  11:15 .  98 

Rev.  13:8  .  195 

Rev.  16:16  .  255 

Rev.  20:1-8  55,64 

Rev.  20:4-6  197 

Rev.  20:4-14  . 182,187 

Rev.  20:6  43 

Rev.  20:11-15  . 193,195,287 

Rev.  22:6,  10,  20  .  249 

Rev.  22:17  .  259 


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